Frome Town Council has been awarded £16,000 to set up a new electric and hybrid car club for local residents and businesses. Two electric cars and one hybrid vehicle will be available for use from Frome Medical Centre, the town centre and another site in the south of the town soon.
Peter Macfadyen, Independent Mayor of Frome said, “This is a brilliant resource for Frome. It means that local people can borrow a car when they need one without the hassle or expense of having a second car. As they are electric and hybrid the cost of using them is very low and so are the carbon emissions. We will soon be installing solar panels at charging points to help power the cars.”
Car clubs provide their members with convenient access to cleaner vehicles without the hassles and expense of ownership (such as tax, MOT, fuel, servicing, repairs, depreciation and parking). Car clubs in other areas have found that members save up to £3,500 a year by switching from private car use to car club vehicles. It is good news for local congestion too as research has found that each car club vehicle displaces 11 privately owned vehicles and reduces the annual mileage driven by members by over 50%. Electric cars also produce around 50% less carbon dioxide and no particulates.
http://www.carplus.org.uk/car-club-schemes-receive-340k-funding-boost-at-carplus-annual-forum/