Sustainable Ventures Development Partners (Community-led Electric Vehicle Car Clubs)

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Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK

£120,000

Dec. 1, 2011

March 31, 2012

An Introduction to your Project
Sustainable Ventures Development Partners (“SVDP”) works with cleantech investors,
entrepreneurial managers, and corporates to originate, build and grow sustainable companies.
Growth of these companies is accelerated and de-risked through access to our extensive
network, deep sector expertise and venture development experience.
SVDP proposes the creation of a competitively priced, wholly electric, pay-per-use car club
(”EVCC”) addressing the present and future needs of the personal urban transport market
through existing community networks.
In 2010, the Committee on Climate Change progress report explicitly highlighted the role
such a model might play in introducing EVs to the broader UK market:
“The ‘car club’ business model could be a viable means of introducing the public to electric
vehicle technology, thereby addressing what may be a key barrier in early years in terms of
lack of familiarity and negative attitudes to the technology.”
The innovative EVCC business model combines the economic and sustainability benefits of
conventional fossil-fuel based car-clubs and the emerging benefits of electric vehicles.
Critically, EVCC will simultaneously deploy charging infrastructure and electric vehicles –
overcoming the “chicken and egg” barrier to Electric Vehicle deployment.
Whilst initial SVDP research suggests that the EVCC business model is commercially viable,
this assessment is highly dependent upon certain market assumptions. The primary objective
of this study is to further develop and test the value proposition to sustainable community
groups and supply chain participants, prior to securing launch funding.
The successful launch of the EVCC is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 120,000 tonnes
pa and create 200 new jobs by 2016. Indirect impacts arise from the accelerated adoption of
consumer-owned EV’s: penetration of 7% by 2020 will save over 4 million tonnes of CO2 pa
and reduce UK fuel demand by over £500 million a year in avoided oil imports.