Over 300 electric cars to share coming to London
Car sharing club Zipcar is pushing to electrify the British capital as they plan to introduce the Isle’s biggest EV fleet. No less than 325 electric cars shall hit the London roads with the first 100 VW e-Golf scheduled to arrive by July.
While Zipcar has yet to specify pricing and details for their planned electric car sharing offer in London, their UK branch had some definite details. They will run a fleet of 325 all-electric vehicles, namely the e-Golf. They will be made available through the regular Zipcar app that allows people to collect and drop-off a ZipCar at specified locations, paying by the minute. The fleet will cover nine central boroughs and Heathrow Airport.
Zipcar positioned the initiative in the wake of London’s clean transport strategy. Says Jonathan Hampson, GM for Zipcar UK: “With over 200,000 Zipcar members now in London, we are already seeing Londoners embracing car sharing rather than car owning in growing numbers. If we are to achieve healthier, cleaner streets, as set out in the Mayor of London’s latest Transport Strategy, this change away from car ownership and towards car access is essential.” Businesses and boroughs only recently called on London to move the planned introduction of zero emission zones (ZEZ) forward by 5 years, from 2025 to 2020 (we reported).
The electrification of their fleet is a joint effort with Volkswagen UK with VW hoping to introduce people to driving electric cars. Says Alison Jones, Managing Director of Volkswagen UK: “Thousands of Zipcar members will experience electric driving, perhaps for the first time.” She too pointed to the change of mind from ownership to sharing a car, which will only increase once zero emission zones will come into effect.
More details of this VW/Zipcar initiative will be available from July 2018 when the first e-Golfs are introduced in London.
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