Scots car clubs to get electric vehicle boost

SCOTLAND’S car sharing clubs will have more electric vehicles than the rest of the UK put together by next April, developers Carplus said today

SCOTLAND’S car sharing clubs will have more electric vehicles than the rest of the UK put together by next April, developers Carplus said today

The number of pay-as-you-drive electric cars available north of the Border will increase nearly five-fold from 15 to 73, thanks to a £1 million Scottish Government funding.

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That compares to a total of 58 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which Carplus said was expected to remain largely unchanged over the next five months.

Carplus said Aberdeen was due to be the Scottish car club leader in electric vehicles, with 16, followed by 13 in Edinburgh - which currently has three - and ten each in Glasgow and St Andrews.

Others will go to clubs in Dundee, Dumfries, Findhorn, Inverurie, Stonehaven, Banchory, Dunbar, Haddington, North Berwick, Lochwinnoch, Fintry and Creetown.

Car clubs have a total membership of 8,000 across Scotland.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “I am pleased the £1 million funding I announced earlier this year has helped to introduce over 50 electric car club vehicles across the country.

“We are always looking for ways to allow more drivers to experience what it is like to drive these vehicles and car clubs provide an excellent way to achieve this.”

Matthew Eastwood, Carplus car club development manager (Scotland) said: “The Scottish Government has set some very ambitious targets for de-carbonising road transport by 2050.

“Car clubs can play a key role in helping to achieve these targets and popularising the use of electric vehicles by providing convenient and affordable shared-access vehicles without the need to own one.”

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