Woking Borough Council adds EV to fleet

The WeCar programme operated by Enterprise Rent-A-Car for Woking Borough Council has added a Peugeot iOn electric car to its fleet.

The programme – run in partnership with Woking Borough Council and Thamesway since January 2010 – will have access to the iOn for one year.

Over the next 12 months, current and new WeCar members in Woking will test the electric car’s feasibility as a practical and sustainable hourly rental vehicle. If the pilot is successful, the programme’s partners will assess the possibility of replacing one or both of the current diesel WeCars with electric vehicles.

Lara Beattie, senior policy officer for Woking Borough Council, said: “Through its Climate Change Strategy, the Council is committed to reducing carbon emissions, adapting to climate change issues and promoting sustainable, smarter ways to travel around the Borough.

“This electric vehicle pilot builds upon the success of our innovative WeCar programme. We are also trialling Elektromotive’s cutting-edge sustainable charging points and hope to deliver significant convenience, environmental and financial benefits over the next 12 months.”

WeCar is an hourly rental product from Enterprise designed specifically for business users travelling short distances, to help reduce grey fleet usage and the cost of mileage reimbursement. It offers dedicated, low-emission hourly rental vehicles that can be parked on site and are available to employees 24 hours a day for their short distance needs.

Enterprise’s director of business rental Rob Ingram said: “This is a first for our WeCar programme, building on the trial programme we’re already running for electric cars in the Greater London area.

“Programmes like WeCar really contribute to establishing a sustainable transport infrastructure that can deliver the mobility needs of local businesses and residents alike.”