Oxfordshire launches EV car club pilot scheme
A car sharing pilot scheme in Oxfordshire has made 14 new electric vehicles (EVs) available for hire on either an hourly or daily basis.
The scheme, put in place by Oxfordshire CC, Oxford City Council, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire DCs with car club providers Co Wheels, Enterprise CarClub, and Thame EV Car Hire offering pay-per-use EVs on a 12 month trial basis.
The pilot offers people the chance to access an EV when required, without owning or leasing one outright, and provide experience of driving EVs before a long-term commitment. It will be used to assess demand and to inform longer term plans for potential EV car club rollout across the county.
The cars will be located in local authority car parks with charging hubs in a number of locations including Bicester, Banbury, Kidlington, Henley, Abingdon and Redbridge Park and Ride’s energy superhub. It has been estimated a successful car club vehicle can take on average 20 individually owned cars – mainly petrol and diesel – off the road.
Most vehicles can be hired by the hour or day and are brand new fully-battery EVs with a range of 150-250 miles. Car club membership is required to use the EVs with residents living near the locations offered promotional codes for free or discounted membership as an incentive. Members can hire car club vehicles in the scheme from £5.95 per hour.
Jenny Figueiredo, Oxfordshire County Council’s EV Charging Project Manager, said: “Introducing EV car clubs right across the county is a key step in cutting our carbon emissions, as well as reducing the amount of individual vehicles on our roads and helping people to reduce the cost of living.
“Providing pay per use car sharing schemes like this makes it possible for people to consider giving up their own cars or second cars, and also to be more conscious of making an active decision about every journey they make.”
Richard Falconer from Co Wheels said: “We have seen growing demand for shared vehicles – especially electric cars – in Oxford city as people realise that owning a car can damage your wallet as well as the environment.
“We think it is the ideal time to make zero emission cars available across the county as it has such a high level of residents who want to travel more sustainably. Oxfordshire is at the cutting edge of how we will use cars in future and is setting an example that other parts of the country will follow.”
Daniel Gursel, Enterprise CarClub Director, said: “We are delighted to work with Oxfordshire County Council to launch this service. Car club is a great option to meet changing travel patterns for both residents and visitors to the area as well as helping reduce private car ownership and give people the opportunity to drive an EV.
“Enterprise CarClub members have access to our complete network of around 1,500 vehicles in more than 220 towns, cities and communities across the UK. This means they can enjoy the convenience of shared mobility not only in Oxfordshire but also when travelling elsewhere in the country.”
Ross Batting, director of Thame EV Car Hire, said: “The residents of Thame are embracing the green revolution and we firmly believe a community EV car club scheme can be a major part of this. The future of mobility looks very different from the traditional car ownership model, and we are proud to be able to play a part in a greener, more sustainable future for the wonderful town of Thame and beyond.”
