GREEN MEANS GO
WORK ON ELECTRIC TAXI WIRELESS CHARGING GETS UNDERWAY IN A UK FIRST FOR NOTTINGHAM
Work is underway in Nottingham on a trailblazing scheme to allow electric taxis to charge up wirelessly while they wait for passengers. The West Bridgford Wire reports that the city council secured £930,000 from the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK for the Wireless Charging for Electric Taxis (WiCET) project. This is a UK first involv- ing both LEVC and Nissan Dynamo electric taxis, placing Nottingham at the forefront of green technology innovation. Nottingham is already at the forefront of the green revolution, with a fleet of hackney cabs which includes 54 electric taxis – the most operating outside London. Nottingham City Council has used Government funding to install dedicated electric taxi rapid charge point infrastruc- ture near taxi ranks, alongside almost 300 publicly accessible sockets across the city. The work on Trent Street close to Nottingham Station will see five wireless charging pads installed into the road, allow- ing local taxi drivers taking part in the trial to charge electric vehicles without any cables while they queue in one of the busiest taxi ranks in the city. Drivers will simply drive over the charging equipment, start their charge, and drive away once they have passengers. Five LEVC and four Nissan Dynamo electric taxis have been fitted with wireless charging systems. These vehicles will be loaned to drivers for the trial to provide insight and learning into how the technology can be developed for the future. The council will also be able to understand the effectiveness of wireless charging for its own fleet charging needs. Construction and testing will be ready for the trial to get
underway in August. Portfolio Holder for Environment, Energy and Waste, Cllr Sally Longford, said: “This pioneering scheme, at no cost to the council or local taxpayers, could be a real gamechanger in EV charging and we’ll be keen to find out from cabbies how it’s going and how we might apply wireless charging in the future.” Richard Sander, technical consultant at Cenex and WiCET project manager, said: “We’re excited to see the works begin to install the five wireless charging pads as
part of the WiCET project. This marks a key milestone in demonstrating real-world wireless charging and making the transition to electric taxis easier for drivers in the future.”
WEST BERKSHIRE CABBIES GIVEN AN INCENTIVE TO GO GREEN
Taxi,, Minibus&Fleet Insurance Specialists
Ta Fleets ro from just two vehicles 01527 757 585
www.coversure.co.uk/r edditch/commercial-motor a 30 t
Taxi and PH drivers in West Berkshire have been given an incentive to go green. According to Newbury Today, they could be offered subsidies to buy electric cabs by next year. Moves to cut the £266 licence fee for EVs, and for hybrid vehicles by 50 per cent, were also applauded by the district’s licensing committee on Monday 4 July. In addition, councillors were asked to support the capping of the cost of EV rapid charges for taxis licensed in the district. The decision will be made at the council’s executive committee in September, before which officers will look into the financial and legal implications. The proposal follows a survey of the 545 private hire and taxi drivers in West Berkshire to gauge interest in ultra-low emission vehicles. At the time of the survey, 95 per cent of the fleet was diesel with just one hybrid vehicle in the fleet. Now there is one EV and more than half the drivers said they would be changing their vehicles in the next three years. Most said they felt the cost of buying an EV was prohibitive. “I’m pleased there is tangible progress on this,” said Cllr David Marsh. “I also think we could help the trade by putting some of the planned council rapid charge units at ranks. “There is a good business opportunity here for early adopters of this scheme. I think a lot of people would prefer to get in a green taxi these days.” The committee also supported the idea of cabs charging up overnight in car parks. The council has already pledged to install charge points in 25 car parks this financial year.
AUGUST 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
