OXFORD is to become an electric car hub with more charge points per head of population than any other European city.

Government Transport Minister Norman Baker yesterday announced a £320,000 project to install 64 new charging points for the city.

The scheme, which started last October, has already seen 40 charging points installed – and another 24 will be finished in the next few weeks.

Oxford previously had only temporary charging points.

Those behind the scheme said Oxford had been picked to be the hub of UK electric car development because of its central position in the UK and because students and academics are seen as good potential customers.

Mr Baker said: “This scheme puts Oxford in pole position to lead the country in introducing electric cars.”

And within the next month a new vehicle sharing club is set to be launched.

Car hire firm Hertz On Demand will have 10 electric cars on the streets of Oxford ready for any member of its electric car sharing club to take out for a spin at any time.

Joining the club will be free, but members will pay £5 an hour for use of the electric cars.

The cars will then need to be returned to the same hire point from which they were taken.

Hertz general manager Neil Cunningham said the city council had already pinpointed three locations – the Westgate Centre, railway station car park and Oxford Brookes University – but needed two more before the club would start up fully.

That is expected to be within the next month.

It means there will be one charge point for every 2,500 people in Oxford, more than any other European city.

David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster, the company installing the charge points for about £5,000 each, said: “We see this as an ideal way to introduce people to the joys of using electric cars.”

Chargemaster is paying for the project.

THE FACTS

Electric cars pay no road tax or London congestion charge.

They can cover up to 100 miles between charges.

Running charges are only about 15 per cent of a petrol driven car.

A full charge can cost as little as £2 and takes between 20 minutes and an hour to complete.

Cars can be charged from a domestic plug but a dedicated charge point is preferable.

ELECTRIC CHARGING POINTS

Two bays at Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton, two bays at Thornhill Park & Ride, Headington, two bays at Westgate car park Two bays at BMW Cowley, two bays at Pear Tree Park & Ride, two bays at Worcester Street Car Park, Park End Street, two bays at Headington Car Park, Old High Street, Headington, two bays at Seacourt Park & Ride, Botley Road, two bays at Redbridge Park & Ride, Abingdon Road, two bays at Diamond Place, Summertown, two bays at St Clement’s Car Park, two bays at Tesco Car Park, Union Street, East Oxford, two bays at Little Chef, Northampton Road, Ardley, two bays at Little Chef, Weston-on-the-Green, A34 south, two bays at Little Chef, Weston-on-the-Green, A34 north, two bays at Oxford Brookes University, four bays at Oxford Railway Station, four bays at Didcot Railway Station, four bays at Bicester Village, four bays at Orchard Centre, Didcot, four bays at Oxford Belfry Hotel, Milton Common, four bays at Waitrose Abingdon, four bays at Waitrose Thame, four bays at Harwell Science & Innovation campus