Gauging of Flat Groups in Four Dimensional Supergravity

We show that N=8 spontaneously broken supergravity in four dimensions obtained by Scherk-Schwarz generalized dimensional reduction can be obtained from a pure four dimensional perspective by gauging a suitable electric subgroup of $\rE_{7,7}$. Owing to the fact that there are non isomorphic choices of maximal electric subgroups of the U-duality group their gaugings give rise to inequivalent theories. This in particular shows that the Scherk-Schwarz gaugings do not fall in previous classifications of possible gauged N=8 supergravities. Gauging of flat groups appear in many examples of string compactifications in presence of brane fluxes.