A new scheme to access electric wheels from just £2.50 an hour has been kickstarted by Forest of Dean District Council in conjuction with cash from the Western Gateway and the know-how of car pool club Hiyacar.

The pilot 12-month scheme will see a Nissan Leaf up for grabs from its chargepoint base at Coleford's Railway Drive car park and the move is the opener for FoDDC's idea to create a green transport network for the region.

FoDDC said that the pilot, open to residents, businesses and tourists, offers a cost-effective, low-carbon alternative to private car ownership, with a Nissan Leaf being available to hire via an app. 

Bookings will be possible for as little as one hour as a "convenient and sustainable transport solution for short trips or occasional use".

The Leaf is the front-runner for a planned district-wide mobility hub which will include e-bike hire and expanded EV access across Cinderford, Newent and Lydney, lift-off for the idea coming after a successful £20,000 funding bid to the Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body.

Peer-to-peer car sharing platform Hiyacar, which allows organisations and individuals to offer their wheels for third-party use, is at the wheel for the project.

Cllr Chris McFarling, FoDDC Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, said the pilot was a crucial first step for the area.

Cllr McFarlane said: "The EV is available to hire now with rental starting from as little as £2.50 per hour, excluding insurance."

He added: "Establishing a mobility hub with access to electric vehicles and bikes is a vital step in tackling key issues around providing affordable alternatives that people want, so that they can play their part in avoiding the continued burning of fossil fuels like petrol and diesel that increase global warming."

Forest residents have a well identified need for such schemes, he said: "As a rural district, we know residents need affordable and flexible transport, but our powers to change the transport infrastructure are limited."

While car travel remains a necessity for many, he said the pilot would encourage a transition toshared use of low emission vehicles.

FoDDC's initiative emerged from our Transport Climathon event held last October and while the car will initially be parked in Coleford, the plan is to trial it in other areas during the test run to assess where car club vehicles would be best placed. As well as the EV-curious, the council believes the offer will appeal to households running a second car and sharing journeys like the school run.

● The car can be booked for anywhere between one hour and 10 days and for a limited time, users will receive £10 off their first booking of this car using the code FOD10. The launch follows FoDDC's recent installation of new charging points, following funding of £200k to install 31 points (62 sockets) in council-owned car parks, including Railway Drive. Details for the new charging points can be found on the Connected Kerb website and app.