GREEN MEANS GO
TAXI CENTRE ON WHAT CABBIES NEED TO KNOW ABOUT UPGRADING TO AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE
• Searches for ‘switch to electric vehicle’ are up by 33% this quarter
•With costs dropping, range rising, and charging times plummeting, industry experts explain why taxi drivers should consider the switch to electric While taxi drivers may typically only change their cars every four to five years, industry experts are advising that now is the right time to upgrade your taxi to an electric vehicle. In fact, in the last five years, electric vehicles have gone from an expensive option of the future to a staple in the industry, accounting for over 20% of all new cars sold. It’s not only becoming a more popular choice for the public, but also for taxi drivers looking to save money
and increase efficiency. Stephen Porter, Branch Manager at The Taxi Centre explains why upgrading to an electric vehicle could be the best decision for taxi drivers in 2024: “Five years ago, it would’ve been hard to imagine that purchasing an EV could be an option for an average taxi driver. With 150-mile ranges and 50 kW chargers being the best on offer, they just weren’t suitable for everyone. Fears of being left stranded with low range or inefficient charging eating into working hours were enough to put many drivers off. “But now with a growing number of EVs offering 300 miles of range and charging speeds of over 200kW the cars are significantly
CALL TO ENCOURAGE LICHFIELD CABBIES TO SWITCH TO EVS
A councillor says he wants “bold” action to encourage more cabbies to use electric or hybrid vehicles. Cllr Paul Ray made his comments at a meeting of Lichfield District Council where he told members in the chamber that the council should incentivise drivers to switch to greener travel options. The Lib Dem group leader said: “The objective of encouraging more EVs among the taxis in this district is one measure we can take to improve the environment. “I’d like the council to go further and be bold like in London where all taxis have to be non-diesel or petrol by 2033. I’d like this council to have a policy like that.”
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Current rules mean taxis must be changed once the vehicle reaches a certain age. But Cllr Ray said incentives could be introduced to persuade drivers to go electric. He added: “The other thing is to stress that the taxi drivers say they want the life of the vehicle to be extended from seven years to a longer period. In London it’s 12 years and I understand the direction is to push that further to 15 years. That means drivers who invest in modern, clean vehicles can recoup their investment over a longer period of time. “I hope these considerations are taken forward and seriously considered.”
more attractive. Added to this is the fact that overnight smart charging tariffs are providing costs as low as 7.5p per kWh, the option of switching into an EV taxi moves from being viable to
being
sensible. “If you consider a modern EV with a 77-kWh battery, it takes 10 hours to home charge overnight at as low as 7.5p per kWh, while a full charge would only cost £5.78. This means you can do a 300-mile drive at around 2p per mile. In contrast, a petrol vehicle is going to cost you around £30-£40 for the 20+ litres of fuel that you’ll need to cover 300 miles. “This year, the UK Government brought in the ZEV mandate. This new law will require 22% of a manufacturer’s sales to be EV. This percentage will increase annually. In 2028 52% of all new car sales will need to be electric and this increases to 80% in 2030. Some councils, such as Dundee, have embraced EVs and now only issue new plates if the car that is being licenced is zero emission. “We are quickly approaching a world where the only cars available will be EV and many cities will begin implementing zero emission zones. “It’s no longer a question of whether a taxi driver will buy an EV, it is a question of when they will buy one. For a growing number of drivers, the answer to that question is right now”. To
find out more
information on government taxi grants or browse taxis for sale visit:
https://www.thetaxicentre.com
APRIL 2024 PHTM
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