Fife towns to host new electric car club

The initiative by Enterprise Car Club with Ore Valley Housing Association will begin in Cardenden and Lochgelly on Friday.

Four fully electric plug-in Nissan LEAFs will be located in the towns with six more to come in Kirkcaldy , Glenrothes sand Dunfermline.

Funded by Transport Scotland and delivered through the Energy Saving Trust and the newly launched Plugged-in Households Programme, the car club is part of a wider initiative to engage communities in more sustainable electric vehicles and shared mobility.

Anyone over the age of 19 will be able to hire the cars from as little as £5.00 an hour, and be driving in a matter of seconds via an Enterprise Car Club app.

The vehicles will be available for use by residents of the housing association, as well as anyone who lives or works in the surrounding area.

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The scheme will then be rolled out to the three other towns as the charging infrastructure is developed.

Membership to the Ore Valley car club gives users access to a growing network of 300 vehicles across locations in 12 Scottish, as well as the total UK network of 1200 electric, hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles.

Nick Clark, business development manager at Ore Valley Housing Association, said: “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.”

Ellie Grebenik, senior programme manager at Energy Saving Trust, said “The Transport Scotland initiative to encourage Scottish communities to use electric vehicles is a top priority, and demonstrates that electric vehicles are a great solution for many journeys.

“The introduction of the car club is one of a number being deployed across Scotland as part of Plugged-in Households round one which aims to ensure sustainable transport solutions are available for everyone in Scotland.”

Diane Mulholland, general manager of Enterprise Scotland and Northern Ireland, said, “This development 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.

“Our Enterprise Car Club programme in Scotland is one of the most active and diverse in the UK. Businesses, the public sector, and local communities are getting behind shared transport and experiencing the significant benefits that Car Club access can bring, including significant savings and reduced emissions.”

The new Enterprise Car Club vehicles are located at 114-116 Station Road, Cardenden, and at 93 Main Street, Lochgelly.