J'CAR

About J'CAR

J'CAR (제이카) is a car-sharing service provider specializing in environmentally friendly vehicles, including electric (EV) and hydrogen fuel cell cars (FCEV). The company was founded on April 1, 2016, by CEO Kang Oh-soon and was selected for the Venture Startup Activation Support Project by the Gwangju Creative Economy Innovation Center. Kang was motivated to start the company to provide a platform where the general public could easily access and experience hydrogen and electric cars, which were gaining interest but were not readily available for test drives.

The company launched its car-sharing service in April 2017, after securing its car rental license and venture company certification in February of the same year. A significant milestone was becoming the world's first company to introduce hydrogen fuel cell cars into a car-sharing service. The service initially launched in Gwangju and has since expanded to other cities, including Seoul and Changwon. J'CAR operates on a membership-based business model where users can rent vehicles for short periods via a mobile application. Revenue is generated from time-based rental fees and distance-based driving fees. The company serves individual consumers as well as the public and corporate sectors (B2G and B2B) through partnerships, such as the 'Wible-Biz' service with Kia.

J'CAR's fleet includes a variety of Hyundai and Kia eco-friendly models like the NEXO, IONIQ 5, EV6, and Kona Electric. The platform offers features such as a delivery service and various user incentives, including discounts on tolls and mileage rewards for charging the vehicle before return. The company has secured significant investment through multiple funding rounds, including a Series A from investors like Hyundai Motor Company and KDB Bank, and a Series B round of 5.8 billion KRW from Kia, Halla Holdings, and others in 2021.