Tag: Enterprise Car Club

Network of electric vehicle chargers extended for car club users

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop joined Edinburgh’s Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Scott Arthur yesterday to launch 72 new electric charging bays installed by the Council.

Transport Scotland has provided the Council with funding for the new bays to be used by the local authority’s current car club provider, Enterprise Car Club. The first phase of 20 chargers (40 charging bays) has been installed with the rest due to be rolled out by the end of this year allowing Enterprise Car Club to provide in Edinburgh, their biggest electric car club fleet for a single local borough or council in the UK.

As well as benefiting existing members, the new car club chargers and electric vehicles provide opportunities for new users to try out and use electric vehicles without needing to own their own vehicle. This offers significant cost savings to users, as well as helping to improve congestion and air quality within Edinburgh, with car club vehicles compliant within the Low Emission Zone which will be enforced from June 2024.

The Council has delivered over 100 electric vehicle chargers since 2022 with funding from Transport Scotland and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. This roll-out is designed to encourage and support the take-up of cleaner, low emission electric vehicles.

Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “It’s great to see that we have extended the network of electric vehicle chargers across Edinburgh to include car club users in the city.

“Residents now have access to this modernised, cleaner and even more environmentally friendly form of cost-effective electric mobility. Motor transport contributes significantly to carbon emissions, and the switch to more sustainable transport is essential to achieving the city’s Net Zero target.

“The new chargers and vehicles also align with our City Mobility Plan to improve our transport system to make it cleaner and more sustainable, and create safe, attractive, and healthy streets and spaces for people to walk, wheel, cycle in and enjoy.”

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “I’m pleased that Scottish Government funding continues to support real alternatives to car ownership for people and communities.

“By supporting EV car clubs, people can experience the benefits of modern zero emission vehicles at a fraction of the cost required to purchase or lease their own vehicle.

“This helps those who only need a car occasionally, which is valuable in terms of encouraging a more sustainable transport network and reducing overall car use – improving air quality and road safety, all while reducing emissions and congestion.”

Find out more about becoming a car club member. 

Where to find car club charging points across Edinburgh.

Where to find charging points across Edinburgh

Clean Air Day: are cars electric?

To encourage more people to drive an electric vehicle on Clean Air Day Scotland, (today, Thursday 8th October), the UK’s largest national car club network, Enterprise Car Club, is offering members up to £40 free driving credit when they book any of its 24 electric cars based in Scotland.

The vehicles are located in in dedicated bays with their own charging points in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling and Fife (at Lochgelly and Cardenden).

Enterprise has also permanently expanded its Scottish car club fleet with 10 brand new electric vehicles to give more drivers the opportunity to try the technology for free on Clean Air Day Scotland, and beyond, bringing the total up to 24 plug-in electric cars. All 24 cars are either a 2019 or 2020 40kWh Nissan Leaf and feature the latest environmentally friendly technology and 180 miles of range.

Every Enterprise Car Club vehicle is cleaned between each rental and is backed by the Complete Clean Pledge, an enhanced series of cleaning and hygiene measures to bring reassurance to renters since COVID-19 and ensure that car club use continues to be a reliable motoring option.

The Complete Clean Pledge includes vacuuming and sanitising with a disinfectant that meets leading health authority requirements, with particular attention to more than 20 high-touch points.

Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign. Dozens of ‘virtual’ promotional events involving hundreds of people, including school children, are being held across Scotland with the campaign led by Environmental Protection Scotland (EPS) on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Enterprise is seeing growing support for its electric vehicle fleet across the UK. While the majority of renters drive fewer than 50 miles when they use an electric vehicle, many are regular users and happy to drive an electric car for 100 miles or more per day. People booking the vehicles can check the charge level on the Enterprise app to ensure that it is ready to meet their needs.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said, “We know that the number of people in Scotland who would consider buying an electrical vehicle continues to increase year on year, so what better way to mark Clean Air Day than to allow them to try driving one for free?

“We also know that the price point for new vehicles remains high for many, despite prices coming down as demand increases. Car clubs are a fantastic opportunity for more drivers to enjoy the benefits of an electric vehicle and will help us in our bold ambition to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2032.”

EPS Policy and Communications Officer John Bynorth said: “Having recently hired an electric vehicle to drive from Glasgow to Inverness and back, I can say this is a fantastic way to travel about the country in an environmentally friendly way.

“There are zero exhaust tailpipe emissions from EVs, making them the cleanest vehicles on our roads and helping to improve air quality. The average distance between any given location in Scotland and the nearest charging point is just 2.78 miles and there are over 3,600 charge-points, with multi-vehicle charging hubs in Dundee and Falkirk. We encourage motorists to rent an Enterprise Car Club electric vehicle and help make October 8 the cleanest Clean Air Day yet.”

“We are delighted to be supporting Clear Air Day Scotland by giving people an extra incentive to try driving an electric vehicle,” said Diane Mulholland, General Manager for Enterprise Scotland.

“Car clubs benefit communities in many ways and have been proven to reduce mileage because people only pick them up when a car is absolutely the right vehicle for a trip. A shared electric vehicle not only reduces road traffic – it also means zero emissions. We’re very proud to have Scotland’s largest publicly available EV fleet, and we’re looking forward to seeing more people trying them out.”

Enterprise Car Club is the UK’s largest national network of on-street low emission car club vehicles and is one of the most convenient ways to get motoring quickly. Members can book Enterprise Car Club with an app, open the vehicle with a smartphone and head off on their trip within moments.

Members of Enterprise Car Club can pick up any of the 1,400 on-street vehicles currently available for rent in more than 180 cities, towns and communities across the UK at many locations including on-street, at Enterprise Rent-A-Car branches, at railway stations and in many housing development.

Car clubs have been shown to bring a range of benefits. They can reduce CO2 emissions, help towns and cities to improve air quality, encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, make business travel policies greener, promote shared transport and encourage active travel.

Membership to Enterprise Car Club costs from £2 per month. Vehicles can be booked either by the hour or by the day. Check the Enterprise Car Club website for more information on the Scotland Clean Air Day promotion.