GREEN MEANS GO THE £1.2M SCHEME TO ELECTRIFY
COVENTRY’S TAXIS FOR CITY OF CULTURE
Coventry is poised to become a pace- setter in the UK for electric taxis with the launch of an ambitious scheme aimed at encourag- ing drivers to make the switch from oil burners to EVs. The aim of the Go Electric Taxi scheme is to modernise Coventry’s taxi fleet ahead of the city being the UK City of Culture in 2021. According to Coven- tryLive, the scheme was launched last month by Coventry City Council, though
a number of key partners are also on board. It
is hoped the
scheme could pro- vide a blueprint to encourage electric taxi adoption in other UK cities, as well as improving air quality in Coventry. The project will see over £1.2m invested in charging infras- tructure and other measures. It is being supported by LEVC, which manufactures elec- tric taxis in Cov- entry, the Irish ener- gy company ESB,
ney carriage drivers, a £2,500 incentive for the first 60 taxi drivers who go elec- tric,
free electric
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire’s two tone electric taxi which celebrates the city and the people in it.
Siemens and taxi app Gett. The initiative in-
cludes the offer of a two-week test drive to all Coventry hack-
COUNCILLORWORRIES TAXIS FROM OUTSIDE CITY COULDWORK IN LEEDS FOR FREE
Concerns that taxi drivers from outside Leeds could work in the city and avoid a proposed clean air charge have been raised at a council meeting. According to the Yorkshire Post, the city’s clean air charg- ing zone (CAZ), which is due to come into force in January 2020, would see high-emission taxis and private hire vehi- cles registered in the city paying £50 a week. Cars used by members of
the
public would be exempt from the charges. It is hoped that this will encourage taxi drivers to invest in lower-emission hy- brid or electric vehicles and help improve air quality in
64
the city. But mem- bers of the Leeds licensing committee are worried that taxis registered else- where could work in the city for free. Cllr Neil Buckley asked: “If the CAZ came in tomorrow, any pri- vate hire vehicle could arrive in the city, drive through the zone and appear as a private car. “What has happened to ensure this can’t happen?” Leeds City Council deputy lead- er James Lewis responded: “We are one of the five cities the government has instructed to intro- duce a CAZ. For the government’s policy to work, the onus is on them to produce a (national) data- base of taxi and private hire vehicles
so each city has access to that infor- mation. “We are putting all the pressure we can on the government to make sure that is in place by January 2020. “My understanding is that there are no concerns that it will not be delivered by 2020, so we have to have faith that it will be delivered on time.” Cllr Buckley asked: “Given that we oper- ate in West York- shire, would it not be helpful if the author- ities near us worked together and we had our own list?” A council officer said a working group would be set up with otherWest Yorkshire authorities and York. He said assurances
had been given by the government that a national taxi licens- ing database would be available by 2020. He added: “If
it
becomes apparent the national data- base will not be available, the coun- cils can share data quickly with each other.” Mmmm… DEFRA, OLEZ and other rele- vant Government departments really must think this issue through; they cannot put a picket fence around any particular zone of any city and block the out-of-area taxis and PHVs entering, so the ‘native’ licensed vehi- cles will be penalised financially… again, on top of losing local fares. – Ed.
charging during a trial period, as well as zero commission fares on taxi app bookings. In terms of infras- tructure 39 rapid charging points will be installed by ESB and Siemens. LEVC’s electric taxis will offer passengers laptop
charging,
mobile phone charg- ing, free WiFi and the option to pay by card. The new electric taxi loan scheme and charging points are part of a city-wide drive to cut air pol- lution. Cllr Kamran Caan, the council’s cabinet member for public health and sport said: “Electric vehi- cles are the future both nationally and globally. I hope that hackney cab drivers will take the oppor- tunity to try out the loan scheme. “The vehicles are built locally – and the number of charging points is increasing all of the time.” Jesse Norman, Min- ister for Roads and the Future of Mobili- ty said: “The Gov- rnment is support- ing this initiative with £1.2 million, helping Coventry to champion these new electric models. “The Government is committed to im- proving the coun- try’s air quality and creating a low car-
bon economy Low emission vehicles will be a key part of that
transition,
showing that we can meet our climate change obligations and also promote economic growth.” One of the Coventry drivers who has already made the switch from diesel to electric power is Kartar Sabraiwal. The 59-year-old has purchased one of the new TX models, his sixth Coventry taxi. Mr Sabraiwal said it would slash his fuel bills and help him save money. Covering 70-100 miles a day, he esti- mates he will save £400 a month. He said: “Electric vehicles are the future – and will mean a smoother, more pleasant ride for my passengers as well as helping clean up Coventry’s air. The fact I will be financially better off from making the switch is also a big bonus.” In addition, the pro- ject aims to tackle some of the biggest barriers
uptake – including concern
to EV about
charging infrastruc- ture. Under this initiative, the rapid charging network in the city will be funded by both the UK Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and investment by ESB. Siemens will supply and maintain the multi-standard rapid charging units.
OCTOBER 2018
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