Co-wheels has introduced a new fleet of 10 Renault Zoe electric cars available for rent in Bristol, following funding from the European Union research project ‘Replicate’.

An introductory offer of £1 for new members will obtain £25 driving credit that can be used on the PayG service

The pay-as-you-go cars will be based at nine locations across the city, including on-street parking at Brunswick Square, Stuart Street and Effingham Road – areas where the car club did not previously operate. In addition, as part of the ‘Replicate’ project – funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme – 14 electric charge point bays will be installed across Bristol.

Cllr Kye Dudd, cabinet member for Transport and Energy at Bristol City Council, said: “The electric vehicles will help reduce the impact of the city’s current transport system and improve air quality, as no carbon emissions are produced and many car club members choose to give up owning a car.

“For those who are thinking of switching to electric, the car club scheme is also a great way to try before you buy.”

To encourage uptake of the new electric vehicles, Co-wheels has launched an introductory offer for anyone who lives in Bristol. For £1 new members can get £25 worth of driving credit added to their account, to use against the hourly car hire charge. There is also no monthly minimum spend required.

Richard Falconer, director of Co-wheels car club, said: “There is a lot of interest from our Bristol members to have more electric vehicles on our fleet, so this is a brilliant opportunity.

“Many Co-wheels members don’t want to add another car to our busy roads and would rather use a shared vehicle when they really need one – and now they have the option to reduce the impact on our environment even more by using a zero emission vehicle.”

As part of the ‘Replicate’ programme, financial help is also available for homeowners in Ashley, Easton and Lawrence Hill to install a range of energy efficient measures to their homes, such as a new boiler, loft insulation and solar panels.