Didi plans charging stations for electric vehicles

Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing on Thursday announced a new joint venture to roll out charging networks for electric vehicles, aimed at attaining a firm foothold in the country's booming new energy car market.

The announcement came after the Beijing-based startup last week signed up with National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, which bought the assets of bankrupt Saab Automobile AB in 2012, to jointly develop electric vehicles.

Didi Chuxing, the world's second-largest unicorn behind US-based Uber, said the company had formed a joint venture with Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization, to build the EV charging networks, and said Beijing-based GEIDCO would be its key partner.