Go Scale Capital Joins $70M New Funding Round In Protean Electric

Go Scale Capital, Zhejiang VIE Science & Technology and Tianjin THSG Corporation have led a US$70 million new financing round in Protean Electric, an in-wheel electric drive system developer, according to a company announcement. Existing investors Oak Investment Partners and GSR Ventures also participated in the round. The new funding will be used to ramp… Continue reading Go Scale Capital Joins $70M New Funding Round In Protean Electric

GO Scale Capital Teams Up With SPI Energy To Invest In EV Battery Projects

GO Scale Capital, an investment fund sponsored by China-focused GSR Ventures and U.S. venture capital firm Oak Investment Partners, plans to partner with Chinese solar firm SPI Energy Co., Ltd. to back electric vehicle battery projects, says a company announcement. The two parties have signed a non-binding framework agreement, in which SPI Energy will issue… Continue reading GO Scale Capital Teams Up With SPI Energy To Invest In EV Battery Projects

China’s Leo Group Joins $121M Capital Injection In Electric Vehicle Start-Up

Shenzhen-listed mini-pumps and garden machines maker Leo Group Co., Ltd. has agreed to join seven other investors to inject RMB780 million (US$121 million) in a smart electric vehicle start-up established by Li Xiang, the founder of New York-listed Autohome Inc. In a securities filing (in Chinese), Leo Group says it will invest RMB350 million to… Continue reading China’s Leo Group Joins $121M Capital Injection In Electric Vehicle Start-Up

EV Charging Station Firm Chargerlink Secures $20M Venture Funding

Chargerlink, a Shenzhen-based start-up focused on providing charging station solutions for the electric vehicles (EV) sector, has secured US$20 million series A round, the largest venture funding in the EV services market in China. According to Chinese media reports, four Chinese investors participated in the round, which will be used to expand the company’s business.… Continue reading EV Charging Station Firm Chargerlink Secures $20M Venture Funding

China Plans Ambitious Expansion Of EV Charging Pole Network

Forty-eight major Chinese cities are planning ambitious expansion plans to increase the total number of electric vehicle charging stations to 1,549, and the number of charging poles to 238,559 by 2015. That compare with a total of 307 charging stations and 16,947 charging poles in these 48 cities as of October 2013, according to Chinese… Continue reading China Plans Ambitious Expansion Of EV Charging Pole Network

Mobike To Expand Bike Rental Services To Japan

Leading Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike says it has established a Japanese subsidiary, Mobike Japan Ltd., in Fukuoka city, with plans to begin services in that city later this year. The move comes after the company expanded into Singapore in March and announced plans to launch services in the U.K. later this month. “Mobike is very… Continue reading Mobike To Expand Bike Rental Services To Japan

Chinese Bike Rental Firm Ofo Increases Bike Deposits To RMB199 From RMB99

Beijing-based bike rental company ofo today increased the deposit new users must pay to borrow bikes to RMB199 (US$29) from RMB99 (US$14.5) previously. Despite the increase, ofo’s deposit price remains significantly less than the RMB299 deposits required by rival Mobike. ofo can charge a smaller deposits because its bright yellow bikes are relatively cheap to… Continue reading Chinese Bike Rental Firm Ofo Increases Bike Deposits To RMB199 From RMB99

Tencent Leads $600 Million Series E Financing Round In Mobike

Chinese bike rental firm Mobike has raised over US$600 million in a series E financing round led by Tencent Holdings Ltd., the largest financing round to date in the bike sharing space, the firm announced today. It brings the company’s total fundraising this year to nearly US$1 billion. The round was joined by existing investors… Continue reading Tencent Leads $600 Million Series E Financing Round In Mobike

Tencent Leads $600 Million Series A Financing Round In Mobile

Chinese bike rental firm Mobike has raised over US$600 million in a series E financing round led by Tencent Holdings Ltd., the largest financing round to date in the bike sharing space, the firm announced today. It brings the company’s total fundraising this year to nearly US$1 billion. The round was joined by existing investors… Continue reading Tencent Leads $600 Million Series A Financing Round In Mobile

China’s Bike Rental Firms Mobike, ofo Are Raising Nearly $1 Billion In Fresh Funding

As city streets in China become a theater for the current venture capital-fueled bike rental start-up frenzy, the two biggest bike rental companies in the country, Shanghai-based Mobike and Beijing-based ofo, are both raising massive new financing rounds totaling nearly US$1 billion. Mobike is raising a new round worth several hundred million U.S. dollars, which… Continue reading China’s Bike Rental Firms Mobike, ofo Are Raising Nearly $1 Billion In Fresh Funding