Powys Green Guide Powys Green Guide Blog

11 December 2025

Community Cars and the TrydaNi Electric Car Share Scheme

With the cost-of-living crisis affecting people across the demographic of Powys, we are all looking for ways to make our money go further. Living in Wales which is a mostly rural county naturally means we are geographically further away from each other; this brings practical limits on the brilliant, yet limited, public transport network. Using cars to get from A-B is often the most effective method of getting to work, attending activities and socialising with friends and family not to mention attending medical appointments which often involve longer distance to reach the right services.

In the ten years preceding the Census of 2021, the population of Powys was a tiny 133,200 (0.2%). There is just one person for every football pitch-sized piece of land in Wales. Cardiff has a population density of 18 people per pitch whereas the amount of land in Powys works out at around five pitches per resident! This is a huge difference in the needs and style of transport needed. With a big increase in residents of 60-75years in age, many of the needs of the county contrast with those of Cardiff and Newport who have a growing amount of young people. As much as walking and cycling brings excellent active travel benefits and decreases carbon outputs, thought needs to be directed into reaching those middle aged to older people to offer more sustainable travel options.

In the mid-1990s a group of committed environmentalists affiliated to the Centre of Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth, started the first car club in Wales (as far as we know!). Mach Car Club was the first example of people coming together to share a vehicle and to pioneer a new model of community transport.'

TrydaNi began in 2019 with the goal of building a network of community-owned charge points, later shifting toward electric car-sharing; by 2022 they realigned due to barriers, and they launched the first phase of the electric car club network on 4 December 2024. Trydani now has ten clubs throughout Wales . Having an umbrella organisation for your local community car share group is a great help in sharing knowledge and resources.

TrydaNi uses an app which with one tap, unlocks the car to access the Zoe electric car’s 245 mile range but has a physical key back up for those who don’t use a smart phone. “I loved how Zoe locked and unlocked herself as I walked away and returned; it felt like we were in sync; human and machine.” Parking often costs the same fee as the standard car park, often with the benefit of being closer to entrances. Electric charge point infrastructure is being added to each year and payment for topping up can easily made by using your credit or debit card. Your hire booking is made via the app or website and you may extend your hire virtually too.

A TrydaNi car club is built around a simple idea: local members share one or more electric vehicles, parked and charged at a designated Home Location. For communities, it offers an affordable transport option without the burden of car ownership—and for Wales, it supports a cleaner, more sustainable transport system. Applicants often represent a local “Community Partner” organisation—such as a town council or social enterprise—but individuals are welcome to apply too. Read more here: https://www.trydani.org/blog/introducing-our-new-application-process-for-car-clubs

Once up and running, members can apply to be ‘Community Champions’ who help with simple tasks like cleaning, promotional work, or monthly vehicle checks, and receive driving credits in return.

Clubs located in the towns of Wales have done particularly well as members can walk or bike easily to collect the vehicle. There are big benefits to be gained in sharing this resource for people who can’t own and run their own car or for households who sometimes just need that second car. Life becomes cheaper and less hassle when you avoid the tax, insurance, tyres, garage bills, time used to upkeep and the stress of parking being taken away!

A- Do spread the word - this is an excellent opportunity for groups in your area.

The next application round closes 15 January 2026, with successful communities notified by 4 February. Vehicles will be deployed from 1 March.

(Further application rounds will likely take place later, with dates to be confirmed).

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