Zipcar launches fleet of plug-in hybrid electric cars in London

Zipcar has partnered with Westminster City Council and Volkswagen UK to bring premium zero-emission driving to Londoners at an affordable price. Fifty Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid electric cars are now available to Zipcar members, with 40 cars located in the City of Westminster and 10 additional cars elsewhere in London, such as Tower Bridge and Old Oak. To make this possible, Westminster City Council has installed new charging infrastructure in 40 of their car club parking bays. Westminster Cit
June 7, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
3874 Zipcar has partnered with Westminster City Council and Volkswagen UK to bring premium zero-emission driving to Londoners at an affordable price.

Fifty Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid electric cars are now available to Zipcar members, with 40 cars located in the City of Westminster and 10 additional cars elsewhere in London, such as Tower Bridge and Old Oak. To make this possible, Westminster City Council has installed new charging infrastructure in 40 of their car club parking bays.

Westminster City Council residents recently named air pollution as their biggest concern, ahead of other local issues.  Westminster is also bidding for funds to create a Low Emission Neighbourhood in Marylebone and recently introduced an ‘air force’ of parking marshals to educate people about the impact of engine idling.

By making the innovative Volkswagen Golf GTE available to Zipcar members at the same hourly rate as a petrol Volkswagen Golf, members have another reason to choose zero-emission vehicles for their urban trips.  It will also mean thousands of Zipcar members will experience electric driving for the first time.

Related Content

  • January 20, 2012
    Sound synthesis makes hybrid and electric vehicles safer
    The growing popularity of hybrids and electric vehicles gives rise to new safety issues in urban environments, as many of the aural cues associated with engine noise can be missing. The solution is to intelligently make vehicles noisier. The rise in popularity of hybrids and Electric Vehicles (EVs) is a result of environmental pressures, shifts in taxation and emerging technologies for batteries and motors. Competition among the car manufacturers means these vehicles need to be cost effective to buy and ope
    Read More
  • July 20, 2017
    Government targets ‘too conservative’ as 1 in 5 plan to embrace electric cars
    Electric vehicle uptake may increase over the next few years to levels far above UK Government targets. In research undertaken by Baringa Partners, nearly a fifth of people said they would consider buying an electric vehicle for their next car, double the Government goal for electric cars to make up nine per cent of the fleet by 2020. However, concerns over purchase price and range mean nearly a third of people believe electric cars will never overtake petrol and diesel vehicles. Baringa is urging the Gover
    Read More
  • January 23, 2017
    London trials new Ford plug-in hybrid vans
    Automaker Ford is launching a multi-million pound project designed to help improve air quality in London, as it accelerates its electrification plans with 13 new global electrified vehicles scheduled for introduction in the next five years. The project, supported by Transport for London, features a 12-month trial of 20 new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Transit Custom vans that are said to reduce local emissions by running solely on electric power for the majority of city trips such as deliveries or maintenance w
    Read More
  • October 2, 2018
    Congestion pricing - no such thing as a free ride
    The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles is likely to increase congestion, many experts believe. But Wes Guckert of Traffic Group believes that tolling could provide the answer. While it is still hard to wrap your head around the idea of getting into a vehicle without a driver, the industry is now used to hearing, reading, participating in the advancement of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Those in the industry have heard about Uber delivering a shipment of Budweiser, or the convoy of driverless trucks
    Read More

Highlighted Content