New electric car scheme for isolated village on the edge of the Harborough district that has no public transport

Tilton on the Hill is set to become the home of Leicestershire’s first rural electric car club.

Harborough District Council (HDC) is joining forces with Green Fox Community Energy Co-operative to provide Tilton, which has no public transport, school or doctors’ surgery, with access to two electric cars.

The pool cars from Green Fox can be booked by residents for hire when needed. The village will also benefit from two council-funded double electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints located at the village hall, suitable for up to four electric cars.

With financial support from the national Motability Scheme, Green Fox is one of four organisations taking part in an 18-month national pilot to help develop a blueprint for rolling out electric car clubs across the country. With a focus on improving rural mobility, the electric car clubs will be open to communities and offer a volunteer drivers scheme to help residents who can’t drive with medical appointments, shopping, visiting friends and days out.

HDC leader Cllr Phil King said: “We are really pleased to support this project which addresses rural isolation and improves Tilton on the Hill’s connectivity with other areas in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way. Both the electric car club and EV chargepoints play an important role in reducing carbon emissions which helps us create a cleaner and green district.”

Tilton on the Hill’s electric car club which will launch in March and will provide the template for other Leicestershire villages and small towns to follow, particularly as Harborough District Council is hoping to secure further funding from the government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund to support similar projects.

Green Fox director Ben Dodd said: “We know it’s not economically viable for commercial operators to provide this type of service in rural areas, but villages and small towns can run electric car clubs for their communities, and they just need the support to do so. This project provides the electric charging infrastructure in villages that would otherwise be left behind in the transition to electric transport.”

Any district villages interested in the scheme can email [email protected]