WORLDWIDE TAXI FOCUS from Spain
MADRID UNVEILS PLANS FOR 1,000 HYDROGEN TAXIS BY 2026
Madrid taxi association, Federación Profesional del Taxi de Madrid (FPTM), wants to replace 1,000 of its current internal combustion engine fleet of taxis with hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2026 in the Spanish city. According to H2-View, the plans are part of the pioneering €100m ‘Taxi-as-a-service’ project, which will see FPTM work in partnership with Madrileña Red de Gas, Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), Toyota Spain, Grupo Ruiz and PwC, and aims to offer taxi fleets hydrogen vehicles that are cost competitive with traditional technologies. FRV will be responsible for developing the entire infrastruc- ture for renewable production and recharging, as well as supplying hydrogen to the taxi fleet; Toyota Spain will supply its Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). FPTM plans to introduce the first Toyota Mirais by 2022. A 10MW electrolyser is expected to be built in Madrid, powered by a 20MW photovoltaic solar plant, to supply the green hydrogen for the taxis.
from Germany
TAXI COMPANY BECOMES THE FIRST IN GERMANY TO ACCEPT CRYPTO AS PAYMENT
German taxi company Tesla Taxi Aschaffenburg announced that it now accepts payments for rides in cryptocurrencies. According to Tesmanian, a few days ago, Tesla Taxi Aschaf- fenburg made an announcement on Reddit that it is starting to accept Dogecoin as payment for using the service. The company's website states that it began accepting payments in cryptocurrency from May 30, 2021 becoming the first taxi in Germany to accept Dogecoin, as well as Bitcoin and Ethereum cryptocurrencies as payment. The introduction of such a payment method in a small company demonstrates how easy cryptocurrencies are to use. At the moment, all developed countries of the world have access to the Internet. So the clients can quickly and easily transfer cryptocurrency to the company’s account using the wallet installed on their smartphone. The taxi service has Model S and Model 3 in its fleet and offers a wide range of services in its region, from everyday trips to
JULY 2021
catering for special events. The adoption of cryptocurrencies makes Tesla Taxi Aschaffenburg an even more interesting and innovative taxi service, and the company owner Stefan Müller says he is always open to new technologies.
from USA
NYC BANS NEW ELECTRIC TAXI LICENCES SNUBBING REVEL’S TESLA TAXI PLANS
New York’s taxi regulator voted on Tuesday 22 June, to stop issuing new for-hire licences for EVs, snubbing a company that wanted to launch an all-Tesla ride-sharing rival to Uber. The New York Post reports that the five-to-one vote by the Taxi and Limousine Commission blocks electric transit startup Revel from launching its fleet of 50 Model Y Tesla taxis. The TLC argued that Revel can still operate if it buys 50 gas cars and swaps their licences out for EVs - a requirement Revel called “the very definition of limiting market competition.” “It is not sustainable to allow an unlimited number of new vehicles to the road in a city that is all too familiar with the choke of traffic congestion,” TLC Chair Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk said at the meeting. “What we will not allow is the opportunity for another corporation to flood our streets with additional cars.” Revel CEO Frank Reig slammed the TLC’s ban, saying that in addition to its plan for environmentally friendly taxis, Revel offered its drivers fairer treatment than Uber and Lyft as it hired them as full-time employees. “We’re offering exactly what this commission has been ask- ing for for years: fair treatment and stable pay for drivers - who are all W-2 employees with benefits - and a plan to drive EV adoption in the city,” Reig said. Reig’s company - which has raised $31.6m from backers including Toyota, griped that the TLC “offered no evidence or analysis” to support its move to end the EV exemption. “The Commissioners sat through almost three hours of testimony on all sides yet asked zero questions and spent zero time deliberating before making a policy decision with profound consequences,” Reig said in a statement after the vote. “The TLC never intended to consider what drivers and New Yorkers had to say, and only cared about jamming through this vote with as little scrutiny as possible.” Revel’s plan would have been allowed under previous TLC rules, but shortly after Revel announced its plans to launch the Tesla service, Heredia Jarmoszuk said the agency planned to eliminate the EV exemption for ride-sharing licences. Representatives of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance and several taxi drivers praised the TLC’s rule change, while the Independent Drivers Guild and activist groups blasted it, saying it would set back efforts to address climate change.
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