Hackney (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Hackney Council’s new electric car club plans face uncertainty as Zipcar prepares to end UK operations, disrupting services for more than 650,000 users.
Members can still utilize their current reservations and the service during the Christmas season and until the end of December, but the American company, which is owned by Avid Budget, has stated that it would stop accepting new reservations after December 31.
The electric vehicle club partnership between Zipcar and Hackney Council, which began a pilot program in May and received a combined sum of more than £1 million from Zest and the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot sum, may be impacted by this abrupt closure.
Since only 35% of Hackney homes possess a car, this project would have made it possible for individuals to have access to cars while lowering carbon emissions and guaranteeing that every resident could get transport whenever they needed it without having to worry about owning a car.
By 2026, approximately half of the 300 car club vehicles that Hackney Council anticipated to be electric vehicles.
The goal of this project is to encourage more environmentally friendly travel and provide cleaner, more sustainable transportation options. By 2041, Hackney Council hopes to reduce the number of cars on its streets by 25% in order to enhance air quality and create more room for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Zipcar plans to deploy 15 electric car club vehicles as part of the experiment. In 35 various places throughout the borough, Zest intends to install 70 new on-street fast charging outlets. Each location will have one parking bay for public EV charging and another for electric car club use.
Zipcar and Zero Emissions Network also intended to provide local Hackney businesses with a complimentary first-year membership to the club, along with other perks like an introductory £100 driving credit and a 30% discount on weekend driving rates.
ZipCar told ELL:
‘Zipcar informed UK members that we are proposing to cease Zipcar’s operations in the UK and have begun the required formal consultation with our UK employees. This proposal is part of a broader transformation across our international business, where we are taking deliberate steps to streamline operations, improve returns, and position the company for long-term sustainability and growth.’
As part of this proposal, new bookings in the UK will be suspended beyond 31 December 2025, subject to the outcome of the consultation. Zipcar UK will continue to operate as usual during this period.’
All other markets remain fully operational and unaffected.’
How will Zipcar closure affect Hackney electric car club plans?
Hackney Council’s electric auto club pilot, launched in May 2025 with a £1m subsidy to Zipcar for EV deployment, is now in limbo as the company suspends new bookings after December 31, 2025, pending full check consultations.
The cooperation aimed to place devoted EV capsules in domestic zones to cut private auto power by 25, but Zipcar’s exit halts line expansion, leaving council finances unspent and forcing a rapid-fire pivot to druthers like Enterprise Car Club or ZEN.
Users face disintegrated access amid ULEZ pressures, while Hackney mustre-tender amid enterprise over traffic charge hikes for EVs; TfL may offer abatements for reserves, but timelines delay zero- emigration pretensions.
