Taxi company hopes new electric cars will make Nottingham city 'cleaner and healthier'https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/loc ... ic-1568680The company is aiming to go totally electric soonA taxi company has decided to 'go green' in a bid to make Nottingham's air cleaner and reduce pollution.
DG Cars has unveiled six of its new fleet of Nissan Leaf electric taxis, which are eco-cars with zero emissions that run on electric batteries.
The new vehicles, which cost nearly £30,000 each, are capable of travelling over 200 miles on a single charge.
Kristaps Kalnins, 30, who lives in the city centre, has been a taxi driver for one and a half years. He said the new taxis are "wonderful".
He said: "These new zero emission cars are so clean and quiet and it will be really good for our customers to see what a zero emission car can do.
"It could encourage more people to buy them and they are actually really safe as well. It has automatic braking and cruise control which make the cars safer for our customers too.
"There are a lot of charging places around the city so we can charge them up, which takes an hour.
"It is cheaper to charge rather than fill up with fuel and then we can drive for more than 150 miles.
"These cars are the future and hopefully it will make Nottingham a healthier city. It is also important to know that if you buy an eco-friendly car the government can give you a £5,000 grant off the price."
The taxi company, which is based in Little Tennis Street in Nottingham, now has 12 eco-friendly taxis in their fleet and hopes to have 100 percent zero emission cars in the future.
Ajmil Ali, the director for DG Cars said he was "proud" that DG Cars were leading the way.
He said: "We were early adopters of electric vehicles and had previously purchased the first Nissan Leafs several years ago.
"Whilst the technology wasn’t quite ready then, we have now invested again with the latest models that give drivers the extended range they need.
"Customers will love the experience of a smooth, zero emission car and they are available now. If you’re considering switching to electric, then why not book a journey and get a first-hand account from a driver of just how great these vehicles really are.
"Nottingham has high levels of air pollution so we are hoping these electric cars will make the city air cleaner and healthier."
Nottingham City Council is also installing more than 230 electric vehicle charging points throughout this year following a successful bid for the funding from the Government.
Councillor Toby Neal, portfolio holder for community protection, said: “This is fantastic news for the city and it is great to see local businesses buying in to our taxi strategy.
"We are committed to creating a clean air zone in Nottingham by 2020 and by these cars becoming low emission they are making sure they can travel in the city once the zone is adopted.
"Taxis and private hire vehicles play an important role in our transport network and we continue to work with the trade to ensure we have the best possible offer.
"Customer service, driver behaviour, standards and newer, cleaner vehicles will ultimately see drivers prosper but more importantly provide the city with a class-leading offer that people want to use.”
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