The UK's very first pay-per-use electric car club, E-Car Club, has launched in London, to be followed by a roll-out nationwide. The E-Car Club has joined forces with social landlord, Poplar HARC, to provide its residents and employees with access to the Renault Zoe and Fluence electric models. Each E-Car will provide a 50-75kg reduction in nitrous oxide emissions per year, helping to improve air pollution in the capital, which is currently a big problem, particularly in the Poplar area, where N02 levels are more than triple legal limits on some roads. The Government hopes the scheme will drive wider take-up of electric vehicles and help in its bid to make the UK 'the electric car capital of Europe'. Christopher Morris, co-founder of E-Car Club, said: 'The E-Car mission is a simple, if ambitious, one. We want to improve mobility on a local level whilst simultaneously reducing both the cost and environmental impact of each journey taken. 'We expect this to be the first of many such schemes and look forward to launching hubs across London and the South East in 2014.î The London scheme follows two successful pilot projects in Milton Keynes and Luton over the past year. There are now further plans to implement the scheme in Oxford, University of Hertfordshire and Maylands Business Park over the next few months before a nationwide roll-out. Electric vehicles are designed primarily for city driving because of their relatively low ranges, requiring overnight charging to provide distances of around 75-100 miles. Ben Fletcher, electric vehicle product manager at Renault UK, feels the scheme will be crucial in encouraging hesitant motorists to test the technology for themselves: 'Programmes like E-Car Club are essential because they actually get people behind the wheel. Once you've driven an electric vehicle, very few people want to go back because it's so responsive, quiet, relaxing and very well suited to city driving,î he said. The Government is already investing millions of pounds in charging infrastructure to encourage new vehicle buyers to switch to electric. Buyers are already provided with a £5,000 discount off the price of a new ultra-low carbon vehicle. As electric technology develops, it is hoped that battery ranges will increase. Transport Minister Baroness Kramer, who opened the event, said: 'E-Car Club is a scheme that kills three birds with one stone - congestion, cost and carbon.î