The logo of Aiways. ©Aiways

Asian Tech Press -- Aichi Automobile Co., commonly known as Aiways, a Chinese electric vehicle startup in which Didi has invested, is exploring the possibility of a U.S. initial public offering (IPO) this year, with a possible $300 million capital raise, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The report cited sources as saying that Aiways is in the process of forming an underwriters group, but there is no timetable for the IPO.

Aiways declined to comment on the news.

The Chinese EV startup was founded in 2017, and its backers include DiDi Global Inc. (DIDI), China's top ride-hailing company.

It has production facilities in Shanghai, with an initial annual production capacity of 150,000 units, and its electric vehicle model Aiways U5 is only available in Germany for now.

According to the Aiways website, the Aiways U5 takes 35 minutes to charge from 20% to 80%and can travel more than 400 kilometers on a full charge.

The Aiways U6 is expected to be available in Europe in 2022 and is now open for pre-orders in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France and Israel.