Barnet Council, working in partnership with Re*, has unveiled a new car sharing scheme that allows residents to hire an electric car by the hour.
The two Renault Zoe’s, along with two dedicated charge points, are located at Barnet House in Whetstone and can be used by members of E-Car Club. Joining E-Car costs just £50 for a lifetime membership and anybody over the age of 19 with 12 months of licensed driving experience can join.
E-Car provides its members with hourly car hire 24 hours a day, all year round. Members of the car club can use the cars for just £5.50 per hour (£45 a day), which includes the charge, insurance, congestion zone exemption and a Source charging card that can be used on participating charge points. The vehicles are brand new, with a driving range of 70-90 miles on a full charge - which covers 95% of average UK journeys.
This new scheme, project managed by Re, is funded by The Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund, which has also allowed the council to plant around 200 trees and set up the first cycle hire scheme in Friern Barnet with Cyclestore.
It aims to be a cleaner and cheaper alternative for residents who only use their cars for short trips such as driving to the supermarket or residents who only use their cars during the weekend.
Chairman of Barnet Council’s Environment Committee, Councillor Dean Cohen, said: “This is an excellent initiative which I am sure Barnet residents will appreciate. London has very good public transport system and coupled with this new scheme, some residents may find it cheaper and more convenient to hire the electric cars.”
Chris Morris, Managing Director at E-Car Club said:
“We are delighted to partner with Barnet Council on this project. Electric vehicles are a fantastic way of reducing street level pollution as they do not emit any exhaust emissions, which is a key issue on major thoroughfares in Barnet.
“The average car is parked for over 95% of its life so residents stand to benefit significantly from the efficiencies of the pay-as-you-go model- something we have proved with multiple schemes across the UK.”