from Sweden
WORLDWIDE TAXI FOCUS from USA
WIRELESS CHARGING AN EV WORKS FOR GOTHENBURG FIRM
CABBIES CAN’T SUE NYC OVER UBER, LYFT IMPACT ON LICENCE VALUES
For the past year, 20 Volvo XC40 Recharge taxi cabs have been using four wire-less charge pads in the Gothen-burg Green City Zone, under which designated areas within the city are used as live testbeds for the development of sustainable technologies. Volvo is working in collaboration with Pennsylvania-based InductEV on the wireless charging technology. The charging station sends energy through the charging pad, which is picked up by a receiver unit in the car that is 14 centimetres from the pad. The taxis use the XC40’s existing 360-degree camera system to help the driver align the car with the charging pad. Each taxi is outfitted with a special charge adapter on the bottom of the vehicle between the front wheels. For the fully electric XC40 Recharge cars, the wireless charging power is more than 40 kW, making the charging speeds some four times faster than a wired 11-kW AC charger and almost as fast as a wired 50-kW DC fast charger. Even if the pad is covered in snow or ice or dirt, it still works. The charging starts automatically when a compatible vehicle parks over a charging pad embedded in the street, in this case a taxi stand. The driver does not need to get out of the car or press any buttons to begin charging. The only thing that will make charging not work is if there is a piece of metal on the pad. The Gothenburg Green City Zone initiative aims to achieve emission-free transport by the year 2030, by using a real city as a testing ground. According to Mats Moberg, head of Research and Development at Volvo Cars, Volvo’s participation will enable the company to accelerate development of technologies and services in the areas of electrification, shared mobility, autonomous driving, connectivity and safety.
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New York’s top state court has thrown out claims by yellow cab operators that New York City diminished the value of their taxi licences by failing to rein in app-based competitors such as Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc. The New York Court of Appeals in a unanimous ruling said the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) never promised yellow cab companies that it would take steps to protect the value of their licences, which are known as medallions and can cost millions of dollars. The companies claim the value of medallions they purchased in 2013 for an average of $1.3 million each fell by about 75% over the next few years as app-based services became more popular. But the Court of Appeals, affirming a lower court, said the TLC was not bound to cap the number of app- based cars that could operate in the city when it sold medallions to cab companies. The TLC currently caps the number of medallions for yellow cabs at about 13,500. The agency also regulates “black cars,” including app-based services, which may only give rides that are pre-booked. In their 2017 lawsuit, the companies said the TLC had breached its contracts with medallion owners by failing to cap the number of black cars that could operate in the city. But on April 26 the Court of Appeals said those contracts did not make any guarantees about the value of taxi medallions. “Defendants warned plaintiffs … that they were not guaranteeing plaintiffs’ investment or making any promises about the future application of TLC’s rules,” Judge Anthony Cannataro wrote for the court. The court also dismissed the companies’ claim under a New York law banning deceptive business practices. stating the law only applies to “consumer-oriented transactions,” which doesn’t include the sale of taxi medallions.
JUNE 2023 PHTM
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