A new electric car club is being launched across a Fife towns and villages in a bid to encourage communities to “go greener”.
Ore Valley Housing Association has teamed up with Enterprise Car Club to provide zero emissions electric vehicles for use by housing association residents and anyone who lives or works in the surrounding area.
Four fully electric plug-in Nissan LEAFs will be located initially in Cardenden’s Station Road and Lochgelly Main Street from Friday, with anyone over the age of 19 able to hire them from £5 an hour using a new mobile app.
A further six vehicles will be introduced in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes and Dunfermline as charging infrastructure is developed.
Nick Clark, business development manager at Ore Valley Housing Association, said he believed the new initiative will help communities look more closely at sustainable electric vehicles and shared mobility.
He said: “Our aim is that this new venture will act as a catalyst for our residents and the surrounding areas to try out electric vehicles as well as the benefits of shared access to a car.
“Delivering this car club comes from a carefully developed partnership between ourselves, Enterprise Car Club and the Energy Savings Trust to make the best use of funding from Transport Scotland.
“Our housing developments in Lochgelly and Cardenden are in more rural areas with less access to public transport.
“We are hoping that using the electric car club will help residents be as environmentally friendly as possible on journeys that are only possible in a car.”
Membership to the Ore Valley car club gives users access to a growing network of 300 vehicles across Enterprise Car Club locations in 12 Scottish towns, cities and communities, as well as the total network of 1,200 electric, hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles across 170 towns and communities in the UK.
Many Enterprise Car Club vehicles are located at transport hubs such as Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, ensuring that visitors from other parts of the UK have convenient access to motoring 24/7, 365 days of the year.
Residents of Ore Valley Housing Association will receive one year’s free membership to Enterprise Car Club, and the first 50 members to sign up will also receive £50 driving credit.
Diane Mulholland, general manager of Enterprise Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “The development of this electric car club through Ore Valley Housing Association is a great example of how Scotland is leading the way in encouraging shared access, use of electric and hybrid vehicles and integration of transport.”
