Rentable electric cars arrive in Babergh and Mid Suffolk
Two cars with a range of over 200 miles have been placed at each of the following locations:
- Girling Street car park, Sudbury
- Maiden Way car park, Hadleigh
- Station Yard car park, Needham Market
With the average vehicle parked 96% of the time, the Plug In Suffolk Car Club gives residents the opportunity to simply book a car for the minutes, hours or day that they need, cutting out the expense of car ownership.
Suffolk are receiving free membership to the car club, as well as credit on their account, so they can start using the cars straight away.
Car clubs have been trialled in other areas of the country and can:
- improve air quality
- reduce congestion and parking pressures
- increase mobility to those without access to their own car
- allow residents to experience driving an electric vehicle without the cost of owning one
The Plug In Suffolk Car Club is just one way that Suffolk’s local authorities are helping to create a net zero Suffolk.
This project delivers on two of the Suffolk Climate Emergency Plan’s goals:
- reduce the number of cars on the road
- increase the proportion of vehicles on the road that are low or zero emission
Over the next few months, two car club vehicles are due to be delivered to each of the following further locations:
- Crown Street, Stowmarket
- Cannon Street, Bury St Edmunds
- Norfolk Road, Ipswich
- Ann Street, Ipswich
- Granary Road, Newmarket
- Norwich Road, Lowestoft
- Castle Street, Woodbridge
An initial 18-month trial of the car club will determine the appetite for a wider scheme across the county, which could see electric community vehicles rolled out to more locations in Suffolk in the future.
Suffolk residents can visit the Co Wheels website to join the car club and book vehicles - using promo code Suffolk15 to get free membership and £15 credit on their account.
Once a member, booking can also be made via the Co Wheels app or over the phone.
This innovative project is funded by Suffolk’s public sector organisations and managed by Suffolk County Council.
Additional chargepoint funding has been provided by the Department for Transport’s On-street Residential ChargePoint Scheme (ORCS).
On the ground, the car clubs are being delivered by Co Wheels.
The chargepoints are provided by Connected Kerb, with Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils managing the chargepoints located in their car parks.
“It is so exciting to see the delivery of the first batch of Plug in In Suffolk Car Club electric vehicles.
"As a largely rural county where private transport is heavily relied on, this scheme helps people access a more sustainable method of private transport that is also cost effective and better for the environment.
"I encourage everybody in the surrounding areas to use the Plug In Suffolk Car Club whether to transport their families or for work.
"Once the scheme has been up and running for several months, we will welcome feedback on this trial to see if there is an appetite for car clubs to become a permanent part of Suffolk.”
“We are delighted to be expanding our network of Co Wheels cars across Suffolk, offering a smarter, greener alternative to car ownership.
"With each car club vehicle taking up to 20 private cars off the road, Co Wheels is helping residents reduce congestion, cut emissions and enjoy more flexible and sustainable travel.”
“We’re delighted that our Needham Market car park is among the first three locations in Suffolk for the new EV car club trial, with on-street bays in Stowmarket expected to follow in coming months.
“This gives our residents the opportunity to try out an EV car without the upfront cost of buying one new, helping to reduce local emissions.”
“We’re thrilled that our car parks in Hadleigh and Sudbury are among the first three locations in Suffolk for the new EV car club trial - giving residents the chance to test out an EV or explore it as an alternative to owning their own car.
“This new car club initiative in Suffolk is an innovative step in encouraging drivers to shift to more sustainable modes of transport and reducing our emissions.”
