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Vehicles often sit without being used on our driveway or in a parking space at work. They cost a sizable chunk of our income to purchase and to maintain, and these vehicles do not provide any payback. With the countless people out there who can’t afford to drive, surely a better future is one where we maximise upon the use of these vehicles! Do this and use the best in low carbon technology - people and the environment win!
Car ownership was a major feature of the 20th century. There was an incredible sense of pride to have the newest model, and then leasing vehicles came into fashion. The average lifetime of a vehicle is just under ten years, making this a massive industry that tears through a vast amount of resources to feed demand. An average vehicle takes 5.6 tonnes of carbon to manufacture, meaning for each car we own we’re adding that cost to our carbon budget. This is true even if we are buying electric! When carbon emissions need to fall to 4.5 tonnes per person by 2030, shouldn’t car ownership be a luxury we can axe?
Here you will learn about the immense sustainability benefits of car clubs and car hire. You will find ways to make the best use of the asset you use so rarely, whilst finding ways to drive loads of new vehicles at no additional cost.
Car Hiring
If you’ve transitioned to hardly using your car anymore and have one sat in the drive, then you should probably think about hiring it out.
Today you can hire out your vehicle through numerous applications that install keyless entry into your car, and allow for people to pick up and drop off to a designated place. These options allow for you to get paid up to £300 a month for the hire of your vehicle at times that suit you, whilst being protected by group insurance. Many companies even offer maintenance and cleaning regimes.
So if you want to keep your car, whilst potentially exploring all the exciting electric vehicle options, you could do very well to consider hiring it out. In doing this you will help reduce your environmental impact whilst saving money.
Living without a car
Living without a car demands organised delivery of goods, which is proven to have a smaller environmental impact than using your own vehicle. It will also potentially require the use of two-wheeled vehicles, using a car club for picking up heavy goods and taking short trips, whilst hiring for long-distance journeys.
It sounds complicated, but really it’s about changing habits that are costing you time and money, whilst replacing these with healthier and less costly alternatives.
Car Clubs
Car clubs are a great way to have regular easy access to vehicles. These typically use keyless entry mechanisms through your smartphone. They are often used in cities by those wanting to use a vehicle only from time to time; to get out into the countryside, pick up goods and take occasional trips across town. You pay a monthly subscription and have a number of miles which you can travel using that subscription.
Many offer a massive discount on entering schemes, with some facilitating a series of community-owned cars and others owning their own fleet. Your options for using car clubs are often restricted to your location as they are city-specific.
Setting Up Your Own Car Club
There are some car clubs that help you set up a franchise. This means you could be the initiator and offer amazing benefits to interested businesses or communities to collectively use these tools. The limitations of car clubs come in the restricted number of miles per month, which then are costly if you exceed the threshold. This is often why people use car hire to support their car club subscription.
Hiring Cars
Car hire is immensely versatile. You can hire vehicles from someone locally or hire the coolest electric vehicles to test drive for your holiday or mini-break. There are local options for virtually everyone, so if you are a very irregular car user, then car hire is for you!
Check out all the shared experiences of our community about life without car ownership, using car clubs and hiring as an alternative.