Britain's first electric hire car launched
source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5560335/Britains-first-electric-hire-car-launched.html
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Adapted Toyota Prius can be charged from mains electricity.
Pay-as-you-go car club members will be able to demonstrate their green credentials by renting the specially adapted Toyota Prius from £5.95 an hour.
It comes amidst growing interest in car clubs across Britain, with membership now exceeding 61,000.
Launched by Streetcar - the UK's largest car club - the £36,000 'Amberjac' version of the Prius was launched as part of a trial into alternative transport, backed by London mayor Boris Johnson.
If the experiment proves a success with the club's 58,000 members, organisers say they aim to roll out more electrically-powered cars across Britain to meet demand.
Unlike the standard Prius the 'Amberjac' version can be plugged into a household plug to recharge its batteries, giving the car a range of 35 miles while running purely on electricity.
By contrast the 'ordinary' Prius can run for only one to two miles on electricity before having to rely on its petrol engine, which also recharges the batteries as the car drives along.
Once the Amberjac Prius exceeds its range it too reverts to being a conventional hybrid, swapping between its electric and petrol engines depending on traffic conditions and the state of the on-board batteries.
The rental Amberjac Prius is being launched in a joint initiative between Camden Council and Transport for London (which is headed by Boris Johson) and will become one of Streetcar's 1200 pay-as-you-go vehicles. Club members will be able to top up the batteries by plugging in at home.
Brett Akker, Streetcar's co-founder, said: "This is the first time car club members have been offered an electric car. Our members are expected to rise to 250,000 by 2012 as more and more people recognise the environmental and cost benefits of joining a car club.
Pay-as-you-go car club members will be able to demonstrate their green credentials by renting the specially adapted Toyota Prius from £5.95 an hour.
It comes amidst growing interest in car clubs across Britain, with membership now exceeding 61,000.
Launched by Streetcar - the UK's largest car club - the £36,000 'Amberjac' version of the Prius was launched as part of a trial into alternative transport, backed by London mayor Boris Johnson.
If the experiment proves a success with the club's 58,000 members, organisers say they aim to roll out more electrically-powered cars across Britain to meet demand.
Unlike the standard Prius the 'Amberjac' version can be plugged into a household plug to recharge its batteries, giving the car a range of 35 miles while running purely on electricity.
By contrast the 'ordinary' Prius can run for only one to two miles on electricity before having to rely on its petrol engine, which also recharges the batteries as the car drives along.
Once the Amberjac Prius exceeds its range it too reverts to being a conventional hybrid, swapping between its electric and petrol engines depending on traffic conditions and the state of the on-board batteries.
The rental Amberjac Prius is being launched in a joint initiative between Camden Council and Transport for London (which is headed by Boris Johson) and will become one of Streetcar's 1200 pay-as-you-go vehicles. Club members will be able to top up the batteries by plugging in at home.
Brett Akker, Streetcar's co-founder, said: "This is the first time car club members have been offered an electric car. Our members are expected to rise to 250,000 by 2012 as more and more people recognise the environmental and cost benefits of joining a car club.
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