Suffolk County Council is launching an EV car club to help residents go electric.

Plug In Suffolk Car Clubs will introduce 16 EVs across eight locations in Suffolk

A trial of electric community vehicles will launch next summer in the county, with the tender process beginning this autumn.

Plug In Suffolk Car Clubs will introduce 16 EVs across eight locations in Suffolk, including Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Sudbury, Needham Market, Stowmarket, Lowestoft and Woodbridge. Vehicles will be available to book by the minute, hour or day.

Car clubs offering access to low- and zero-emission cars are widespread across the UK but are less common in rural and semi-rural areas such as Suffolk as providers do not yet have the real-world data to support the usage.

The new scheme will tackle this, helping Suffolk residents to experience benefits such as improved air quality and reduced congestion, along with increased mobility for those without access to their own car.

The project, funded by Suffolk’s public sector organisations, will support the Suffolk Climate Emergency Plan. Additional charge point funding is being provided by the Department for Transport’s On-street Residential ChargePoint Scheme (ORCS).

Councillor Neil MacDonald, Chair, Suffolk Public Sector Leaders, said: “Suffolk residents have been asking about the possibility of bringing car clubs to Suffolk following the recent success of the Car Club trial in Oxfordshire, therefore I am looking forward to the launch of our trial.

“I am hoping that many individuals and families will benefit from the scheme and help to bring electric community vehicles permanently to our county.”

Drivers and businesses can sign up now to express interest in the scheme.