ORE Valley are playing their part in the move to bring 'green' motoring to the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area.

Enterprise Car Club, part of Enterprise Holdings – the world’s largest vehicle rental group – is launching a zero emissions electric vehicle car club through a partnership with Ore Valley Housing Association.

Funded by Transport Scotland and delivered through the Energy Saving Trust and the newly launched Plugged-in Households Programme, the new car club is part of a wider initiative to engage communities in more sustainable electric vehicles and shared mobility.

The initiative will see four fully electric plug-in Nissan LEAFs located at Cardenden and Lochgelly, from Friday. Anyone over the age of 19 will be able to hire the cars from as little as £5 an hour, including VAT, and be driving in a matter of seconds by using the easy-to-use Enterprise Car Club app.

The vehicles will be available for use by residents of the housing association, as well as anyone who lives or works in the surrounding area. A further six vehicles will be introduced in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes as the charging infrastructure is developed.

Membership to the Ore Valley car club gives users access to a growing network of 300 vehicles across Enterprise Car Club locations in 12 Scottish towns, cities and communities, as well as the total network of 1,200 electric, hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles across 170 towns and communities in the UK.

Residents of Ore Valley Housing Association will receive one year’s free membership to Enterprise Car Club, and the first 50 members to sign up will also receive £50 driving credit.

Nick Clark, Business Development Manager at Ore Valley Housing Association, said: “Our aim is that this new venture will act as a catalyst for our residents and the surrounding areas to try out electric vehicles as well as the benefits of shared access to a car.

"Delivering this car club comes from a carefully developed partnership between ourselves, Enterprise Car Club and the Energy Savings Trust, to make the best use of the funding from Transport Scotland.

“Our housing developments in Lochgelly and Cardenden are in more rural areas with less access to public transport. We are hoping that using the electric car club will help residents be as environmentally friendly as possible on journeys that are only possible in a car.”

Ellie Grebenik, Senior Programme Manager at Energy Saving Trust, said: “The introduction of the electric Enterprise Car Club through the Ore Valley Housing Association is one of a number of electric car clubs being deployed across Scotland as part of Plugged-in Households round one which aims to ensure sustainable transport solutions are available for everyone in Scotland.”

Diane Mulholland, General Manager of Enterprise Scotland & Northern Ireland, said, “The development of this electric car club through Ore Valley Housing Association is a great example of how Scotland is leading the way in encouraging shared access, use of electric and hybrid vehicles and integration of transport.

“Businesses, the public sector, and local communities are getting behind shared transport and experiencing the significant benefits that Car Club access can bring, including significant savings and reduced emissions.”

The new Enterprise Car Club vehicles are located at 114-116 Station Road, Cardenden, and at 93 Main Street, Lochgelly.