Zipcar launches London electric car club

Members of the Zipcar car club will from this week be able to pick up electric and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles from its new Electric Vehicle Pod in central London following the official launch of the company's partnership with Westminster Council.

The all-electric Citroën c1 and a plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius will be stationed at a dedicated "EV Pod" recharging bay in Spencer Street behind Westminster City Hall, allowing members of the car club to undertake zero-carbon journeys for the first time.

The launch of the new service is part of a wider initiative undertaken in partnership with Westminster City Council that sees more than 70 vehicles, including 20 hybrid cars, made available at dedicated parking spaces across Central London.

Individuals and companies signing up to the car club, which is being backed by £200,000 from Westminster Council and £50,000 from Transport for London, will enjoy a number of concessions compared to standard car club members, including one hour's free parking, exemption from the congestion charge and a discounted membership fee of £25 a year.

The membership fee also counts towards the first few journeys, which are charged on a pay-as-you-go rate starting from £3.95 an hour or £29 a day.

Councillor Danny Chalkley, Westminster council's cabinet member for city management, said the expanded car club would provide Londoners with an " environmentally friendly choice to London's pressured transport system".

"We were one of the first councils in the UK to introduce a range of financial incentives for electric vehicle owners and with this scheme we are once again demonstrating our commitment to the green agenda and recognising the potential of electric vehicles within our car-sharing scheme," he added.

The provision of electric vehicles follows the successful trial of plug-in electric hybrids in San Francisco earlier this year, and a spokeswoman for the company confirmed that electric vehicles are set to become an increasingly prominent feature of the company's global fleets.

"We are only going to offer more of these types of vehicles," she said, adding that the fact most people use car clubs for relatively short journeys means that the issue of recharging electric car batteries is largely avoided.

The launch of the new service comes just weeks after Zipcar's rival car club operator Streetcar announced it is also offering a plug-in hybrid Prius as part of a trial with Camden Council.