On The Road, Greener and Cheaper

14th November 2022 | Clubs and Societies, Community

An Electric Vehicle Car Club in Kibworth

We need to find 3 or 4 more individuals to form a Steering Group to set up this club.

Please come to the Swan on Wednesday 4 January at 7pm. Or attend a Zoom meeting on Thursday 5 January at 7pm if you are interested in joining or helping organise the club. Without you, it won’t happen.

Ben Dodds of Green Fox Community Energy Co-operative (GFCEC) gave feedback from the survey completed by 47 residents of Kibworth at a public meeting on 13 October. He is currently working with four other villages in Leicestershire to set up car clubs, the first of which will start operating in early January when two second-hand electric vehicles from Motability become available to purchase.

Here are the main points from the feedback and discussion.

Membership of Car Club would make a big saving compared to owning a car. Annual membership at about £400 p.a. + using a car for four to five hours per week would cost £1700, with no further ownership or running costs.
Membership of Car Club is far more affordable than buying and owning a car, even an older car. This could appeal to a two-car household where one adult works from home, or where ownership of a car means going without other necessities. It could appeal to someone simply wanting to try driving a clean energy car to see what it is like.
Club members need to take on care and cleaning of cars and operate as a club. This is not a commercial venture but a mutual.
Criteria for membership need agreement e.g. around minimum age, driving licence, transporting pets, eating and smoking in cars.
Each community has slightly different needs and usage according to location, existing services, and village demographics. For example, Kibworth would not be looking at a volunteer driver scheme (Voluntary Action South Leicestershire already run one.)
Ben will help find funding, so that GFCEC can provide two cars initially. GFCEC will also raise funding if needed for 2 extra charge points. Location of these to be discussed.
On behalf of the Car Club, GFCEC organise insurance, breakdown cover, servicing and lease/ownership of vehicle and run the app which members will need for locating and booking cars.
The Car Club will need to raise approx. £8000 per year. The model suggests this is achieved by a combination of cars being used on average two hours every day of the year @ £5 to £6 per hour + at least ten members paying a membership fee of @£35 per month.
It only works for return journeys. Booking a car out all day and leaving it outside work would be more expensive than other transport options.
Usage is charged on length of time car is out. Hourly cost covers electricity used, insurance, breakdown cover but not parking and any fines.
To gain traction, we need a catchy or descriptive name and a logo.

Please help parish councillor Trish Formoy drive this forward

for more information, contact her at p.formoy@kibworthbeauchamp-pc.gov.uk

P.S. Tip for owners of electric vehicles – the PodPoint chargers in the School Road car park, at 20p per kWh, are cheaper than your daytime electricity at home.