New EV car club pilot launches in Coleford

The pilot gives residents a cost-effective, low-carbon alternative to private car ownership by making a Nissan Leaf car club vehicle available to hire via an app. Bookings can be made for as little as one hour, providing a convenient and sustainable transport solution for short trips or occasional use.

The EV will be based initially at Railway Drive Car Park in Coleford, with the pilot marking the first step towards the council’s long-term vision of creating a district-wide mobility hub – including e-bike hire and expanded EV access across the district’s other market towns of Cinderford, Newent and Lydney.

The scheme has been made possible through a successful £20,000 funding bid to the Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body. The car will be operated via the Hiyacar platform, which also supports peer-to-peer car sharing.

Cllr Chris McFarling, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency at Forest of Dean District Council, said:

“We’re delighted to introduce this new transport option to Coleford residents. The EV is available to hire now with rental starting from as little as £2.50 per hour, excluding insurance.

“Establishing a mobility hub with access to electric vehicles and bikes is a vital step in tackling key issues around providing affordable alternatives that people want, so that they can play their part in avoiding the continued burning of fossil fuels like petrol and diesel that increase global warming.

“As a rural district, we know that residents need affordable and flexible transport options, but our powers to change the transport infrastructure are limited. We also acknowledge that car travel remains a necessity for many in the area, however this pilot will encourage a transition from car ownership to shared use of low emission vehicles.”

“The idea for an EV car club emerged from our Transport Climathon event held last October, and we’re proud to have secured funding to turn that idea into reality.”

While the car will initially be parked in Coleford, the plan will be to trial it in other areas during the year-long pilot to serve as a proof of concept and assess where car club vehicles would be best placed strategically in future. Use of a shared vehicle can be a great alternative to households running a second car, shared journeys like the school run or just a cost-effective way of trying out an EV.

Residents, visitors and businesses are encouraged to visit the Hiyacar platform and benefit from the trial scheme. The car can be booked for anywhere between 1 hour and 10 days. For a limited time, users will receive £10 off their first booking of this car using the code FOD10.

Visit the Hiyacar website to book: https://www.hiyacar.co.uk/rent-a-nissan-in-forest-of-dean

The launch of the car club EV follows the recent installation by the council of new charging points, following funding of £200k to install 31 charging points (62 sockets) in council-owned car parks, including Railway Drive. Details for the new charging points can be found on the Connected Kerb website and app - https://connectedkerb.com/charge-your-car/find-a-charging-point/