HACKNEY CENTRAL — Hackney Council has launched its first electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing scheme to help residents travel more sustainably around the capital, and reduce their carbon footprint.
The Council announced that two new EVs are available for Enterprise car club members to rent using a mobile app, adding to the existing 16 EVs currently available to Zipcar members. Rental rates start at £7 per hour for Zipcar, and £5.85 for Enterprise.
Making Hackney a greener borough
The announcement is part of the Council’s commitment to rebuild a greener Hackney after the community highlighted pollution, traffic and noise as areas of concern.
According to data published by Mayor Sadiq Khan, more than 4 million Londoners are living in areas which, when tested in 2019, exceeded legal limits for air pollution, and people from low socio-economic backgrounds are disproportionately impacted.
EVs are better for the environment than petrol and diesel cars because they have “zero tailpipe emissions, so [don’t] pollute the urban environment,” explained Dr James Morris, founder of WhichEV – a website dedicated to EVs.
The car-sharing club aims to reduce private ownership of polluting vehicles, and make EVs more accessible to all residents. According to the council, 70% of Hackney residents do not own a car.
Why join a car sharing scheme?
“Car-sharing schemes enable people to have cars when they need them, and not have the hassle of ownership when they don’t.
“It’s starting to become possible to use an EV every day as your only car…[and] despite the increase in energy costs, EVs also cost many times less per mile than petrol,” said Dr Morris.
Will Petty, from Low-Traffic Hackney, a group of local residents who support efforts to reduce motor traffic levels in the borough, ??supported the car club, but claimed EVs alone cannot solve Hackney’s traffic problems.
“We don’t just need greener cars – we need fewer cars as well. EVs are less polluting, but they still take up precious space away from people…That’s why Hackney’s electric car-sharing scheme is a great move. It will allow more people to escape the burden of owning a car that sits unused 96% of the time,” Petty said.
??We’ve launched our first back-to-base electric vehicle (EV) car clubs
?New shareable EVs will have designated charging bays in Stoke Newington
?The Council has met its 2025 target of ensuring all residents are within 500m of an EV chargerhttps://t.co/bxJXw9mtGl pic.twitter.com/sIgCYYSKC2
— Hackney Council (@hackneycouncil) March 18, 2022
Making electric vehicle uptake widespread
Earlier this month, Hackney Council announced that it had met its 2025 target of ensuring all residents are within 500m of an EV charger, with more than 300 chargers available across the borough.
Residents can drop off the sharable EVs at the designated charging bays in Stoke Newington, located on Londesborough Road and Defoe Road.
In a statement on Hackney Council’s website, Cllr Mete Coban said: “Our vision is for the borough to be greener, with more trees and wildlife; healthier, with more of us walking, cycling and taking public transport; and, cleaner, with better air quality.
“We are continuing to take the lead in rolling out electric vehicle charge points, with the outcome of an ambitious procurement programme for 2,000 on-street charges set to be announced later this year.”
READ MORE about Hackney Council’s efforts to help the climate:
