AFTER touting free car plates and hefty subsidies to encourage private electric car purchases, Shanghai has taken another step toward green mobility with the opening of China's first electric car rental outlet today.

The store, located in Jiading District where the Electric Vehicle International Demonstration Zone is sited, was launched by Shanghai-based eHi Auto Services Co as part of its plan to deploy 200 electric cars in the city this year.

Twenty Roewe E50 electric cars made by SAIC Motor will be available for rent at 149 yuan (US$24.27) a day, a price much lower than gasoline models of the same size.

Chen Lei, who planned to travel in the Jiading district today, became the first customer of the electric car rental store. He said he intends to buy an electric car but first wants to get to know it better.

One major reason for the lackluster sales of green cars is that the public knows little about their actual performance -- a survey by Shanghai International Automobile City (Group) Co last year found over 64.9 percent of respondents had heard of electric vehicles, but only 9 percent had actually driven them.

Concerns over limited charging infrastructure and high battery maintenance costs could also be deal breakers when it comes to the purchase.

Cai Lihong, senior vice president of eHi Auto Services Co, said the company will provide free recharging services at the electric car rental outlet, with another two stores to be opened this year in Jiading and more in the pipeline to cover other districts.