GAC Energy, Alipay ally on EV charging, battery swapping, energy operation, marketing businesses

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On November 17, 2023, GAC Energy Technology Co., Ltd. ("GAC Energy") and Alipay (Hangzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd. ("Alipay") formalized their strategic cooperation with a signing ceremony. The two entities are set to embark on innovative collaborations spanning multiple fields, including new energy vehicle (NEV) charging, battery swapping, vehicle-network interaction, energy operation, and brand marketing, as they jointly explore a groundbreaking business model integrating "energy services and the Internet".

Photo credit: GAC Energy

This strategic alliance aligns with China's National Energy Administration's March 2023 release of the Opinions on Accelerating the Digitization and Intelligent Development of the Energy Sector. The document underscores the crucial role of integrating the energy industry with digital technology as a key driver for advancing China's energy industry to a higher level and modernizing the industry chain—a move with significant implications for enhancing the core competitiveness of the energy sector and promoting high-quality energy development.

Presently, GAC Energy is concentrating its efforts in the field of photovoltaic, energy storage and NEV charging, and battery swapping. Its number of public supercharging stations continues to rise, exceeding a thousand stations so far and spanning over 150 cities nationwide. The user base for home charging stations is also poised to surpass four hundred thousand. To amplify this rapid expansion, digital capabilities are paramount, and Alipay, as a leading domestic digital life open platform, introduces Zhima Credit, Ant Forest, AI data models, and dual-end interconnectivity into the NEV charging service scene, robustly ensuring the convenience of user charging.

This collaboration not only signifies a deepened digital partnership between GAC Energy and Alipay, but also represents a cross-industry collaboration between the internet and the NEV sector. According to the cooperation agreement, Alipay will provide a one-stop interface and service support for the platform through its international settlement business, ensuring a secure and convenient platform environment and functional safeguards for overseas users in comprehensive payment, receipt, disbursement, and risk management.

In the realm of user operations, the partnership will activate Alipay's online user operation system, enhancing charging user engagement and loyalty through the establishment of "joint membership," "intelligent AI services," and the "Ant Forest green energy scene."