Car-sharing network Zipcar has announced it will add more than 300 Volkswagen e-Golf electric cars to its London fleet starting this summer.
Full details of the scheme will be announced when it launches in July, but the firm has said the first 100 vehicles are due to be available this summer. The all-electric fleet will increase to 325 by the end of 2018.
The e-Golfs will be available as part of the company’s by-the-minute Zipcar Flex service, which allows members to ‘drive and drop’ vehicles around the city on one-way journeys.
Zipcar says the initiative comes at a time when congestion and pollution levels in the capital have reached an all-time high. By introducing the electric vehicles and making them more widely accessible, the firm says it hopes to “break down current barriers to greater” adoption of electric cars.
Jonathan Hampson, general manager of Zipcar UK, commented: “If we are to achieve healthier, cleaner streets, set out in the mayor of London’s latest transport strategy, this change away from car ownership and towards car access is essential.
“In encouraging this change we have always wanted to use the cleanest possible vehicles, which is why we’re incredibly proud and excited to team up with Volkswagen for this zero-emissions initiative. It marks another step towards our vision for a greener London where car sharers outnumber car owners, making our amazing city an even better place to live for all.”
zipcar.co.uk