A study carried out by motoring research organisation, The RAC Foundation, reports that on average
our cars are driven for just one hour a day. That’s a very expensive 4% of the 24hrs a day, 365 days a
year that we pay to own your car for.
And if you consider second car ownership on its own, that percentage goes through the floor.
For the rest of the time they’re parked up not only on our driveways but on our streets, market
squares and car parks.
It’s one of the many reasons DEN is pushing to establish a viable Deddington car share scheme.
As part of this initiative, on Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd Feb , Ed Toll and Richard Devitt ran a
Zimbl open day at the Deddington Arms.
Zimbl is ‘pay as you go’ electric vehicle (EV) rental service which allows drivers to rent EVs for just
the hours or days they actually need one for.
Currently up and running in Banbury, their hope is bring this car rental scheme to Deddington by
stationing a couple of cars in the centre of the village. Bookings are made and managed via the Zimbl
app, as is the unlocking and locking of the cars. So there’s no need to collect or exchange keys. Once
you’re registered and you’ve had your licence verified, which you only need to do once, you’re good
to go.
Ed and Richard say: “By sharing a single EV amongst multiple drivers on a daily basis we hope to save
drivers money, cut down on the number of cars parked on our streets, and reduce pollution in and
around our towns and villages.
There are still a few challenges to overcome before Zimbl cars are stationed in Deddington, not least
of all suitably located charging points (they’re working on this!). However, for anyone in the village,
or surrounding villages, requiring a day rental they’re happy to deliver and collect a car to and from
your door. They just require 24hrs notice. A day rental currently costs £80.
If you’d like to register with Zimbl go to https://bookings.zimbl.co.uk using your smart phone, where
you can download the Zimbl app.
Another option that we’re looking at is to expand the local fleet on HIYACAR.CO.UK.
Not all types of car are covered by hiyacar, but we also a few cars available (Tesla, Mercedes) that are available to hire with insurance app CUVVA.
Get in touch at info@deddingtonenvironment.net if you’d like get involved.