Sharing Knowledge about Sharing EVs: A Policy to Pursue
Can EV sharing help meet policy objectives to reduce car use, ownership and emissions in smaller, often more car-dependent towns and villages? Electric car clubs are being trialled at public charging hubs in towns and villages across Oxfordshire. Hannah Budnitz has won funding from the Public Policy Challenge Fund to see what answers these trials offer.
Even before the Park and Charge and Redbridge public charging hubs went live across Oxfordshire, the partners involved in their installation saw the potential of co-locating electric car clubs to extend their impact. Jenny Figueiredo of Oxfordshire County Council and Hannah Budnitz of the TSU kept the discussion alive with the charge point operator and district councils, and reached out to car club operators, community groups, and the shared mobility charity, CoMoUK to develop messages.
Out of this partnership working, Oxfordshire County Council negotiated a year-long trial of electric car clubs at a selection of the Park and Charge hubs and Oxford City’s Redbridge Park and Ride. All the partners helped launch the trial and staffed an ‘EVs are for Everyone’ event in May, with Hannah’s contributions funded by an award from the OPEN Seed Fund.
With the additional funding, Hannah plans to evaluate the project as it concludes next spring. She and Jenny will make the case to give local policymakers and car club operators the confidence to support and scale shared EVs in similar, smaller settlements.
Sharing Knowledge about Sharing EVs: A Policy to Pursue
Can EV sharing help meet policy objectives to reduce car use, ownership and emissions in smaller, often more car-dependent towns and villages? Electric car clubs are being trialled at public charging hubs in towns and villages across Oxfordshire. Hannah Budnitz has won funding from the Public Policy Challenge Fund to see what answers these trials offer.
