Taxi Driver Online

Councillors back proposals for electric taxi and private hire scheme

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/ ... -1-4854287

Councillors have thrown their weight behind proposals for a fleet of electric taxis – as a Capital cab boss has spoken out in favour of embracing the technology.


Image: Edinburgh Evening News

Edinburgh City Council’s regulatory committee will discuss encouraging taxi firms to move to electric vehicles when it meets in May – after councillors backed making it a more attractive choice for the trade, including possibly reducing licensing fees.

City Cabs already has a fleet of five electric vehicles – with another five on their way soon. The company is set to plug in two rapid chargers at its West End headquarters, which takes 45 minutes to recharge batteries. The vehicles have a 90-mile radius as well as a range extender.

Les McVay, secretary of City Cabs, said: “We are getting really good feedback from drivers. They are generally saving between £5 and £7 per shift.

“There are very few working parts on the electric taxis, so the maintenance savings are substantial as well. Customers are liking them too.”

In October 2018, councillors agreed to push forward £3.3m plans to roll out 211 electric charging points across the city by 2023. Council assumptions predict that by 2020, taxis and private hire vehicles embracing electric technology could save 1,061 tonnes of CO2 each year.

Green Cllr Steve Burgess said: “I would certainly support when we are next looking at the age and emissions policy at the next committee, that we ask officers to make recommendations about electric vehicles.

“I would be concerned if we were to wait for the infrastructure to be in place before we had any policy towards electric vehicles.”

Up until 2015, taxi drivers in Edinburgh were not permitted to use electric vehicles – but the council now predicts that by 2023, there will be 623 electric taxis and private hire vehicles operating in the Capital.

Regulatory services manager Andrew Mitchell urged councillors to ensure infrastructure was in place before requiring taxi firms to go electric.

In the council’s business case for expanding its electric vehicle infrastructure, a number of incentives have been touted for encouraging taxis to embrace the technology – including removing licensing fees for electric vehicles, rolling out electric only taxi ranks in desirable locations and introducing saloon hackney carriage licences for electric vehicles.

Mr McVay added: “The vehicles are pretty amazing. I think everybody is into them if it means cutting down pollution.

“It’s important that the council doesn’t go too fast, it needs to be sustainable. The extra chargers will help but the biggest concern is the current range of vehicles.”

Labour Cllr Scott Arthur called for any changes to be based on encouragement rather than enforcing more rules on the trade.

The council’s transport and environment convener, Cllr Lesley Macinnes, said: “Our electric vehicle infrastructure business case makes a real commitment to providing sustainable, efficient transport options across the city – and taxis are a key element of this.

“Greener travel is central to our transport agenda and alongside the promotion of cycling, walking and public transport use.”

Daft coming up with such a precise figure. Think that's what statisticians call 'spurious' accuracy

They should have said 'approximately 600', or something like that.

Les McVay, secretary of City Cabs, said: “We are getting really good feedback from drivers. They are generally saving between £5 and £7 per shift.

so assuming 250 shifts a year that's a fuel saving of £1250 to £1750 a year which at £56000 purchase cost over 40K for a normal vehicle would take 9 to 10 years to recover the difference

very arbitrary calculation I know but worth thinking about

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Not much help really in respect of the £60,000 ish purchase price.

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IDFIMH

All fine and dandy until the driver has to refuse several long distance runs due to his leccy box being only half charged and then sit twiddling his thumbs as his oppo in his old oil burner gets a run to inverness.

“All fine and dandy until the driver has to refuse several long distance runs due to his leccy box being only half charged and then sit twiddling his thumbs as his oppo in his old oil burner gets a run to inverness.”

That’s not the case with the TXe, the driver just switches to petrol mode (average 37mpg ) I don’t know where they get the 90 mile electric range from though, it’s closer to 50 in real world driving.

Taxi boss slams city council’s strategy for electric vehicle chargers

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/ ... -1-4856023


Tony Kenmuir (Image: Edinburgh Evening News)

A taxi chief has criticised the city council’s strategy for rolling out electric vehicle chargers across the Capital – labelling figures used in assumptions as “absolute nonsense”.

Last October, the council’s transport and environment committee agreed to push forward £3.3 million proposals for installing 211 extra electric charging points for vehicles based on predictions of the demand in both 2020 and 2023.

A total of 68 locations hosting multiple charging points have been identified across the Capital, creating strategic charging hubs for users. Up until 2015, taxi drivers in Edinburgh were not permitted to use electric vehicles – but the council now predicts that by 2023, there will be 623 electric taxis and private hire vehicles operating in the Capital. Councillors on the authority’s regulatory committee indicated they would back methods to encourage taxi companies to go electric.

Tony Kenmuir, chairman of Central Taxis, said he is “dismayed” by the business case assumptions made concerning taxis – claiming there will be a smaller proportion of chargers to vehicles available under the plans.

He said: “If the council agrees to increase the number of chargers at all – that is a step in the right direction. If you’re going to make forecasts and projections there is going to be some educated guesswork involved, but you have to at least start with one foot in reality and this document isn’t even close from the public hire taxi perspective.

“As far as the taxi section goes, none of it adds up. What they’re proposing is a reduction in the number of chargers that are available as a percentage of the electric fleet, domestic and taxi.

“Overall the figures for taxis are so wildly wrong that the document is rendered meaningless. If that reflects on the rest of the document I hope that nobody is going to try and reach conclusions based on the contents.”

The council believes the ratio will be improved in reality as it is predicted that some users will use home-charging and not need access to public infrastructure.

The business case, drawn up by the Energy Savings Trust (EST) on behalf of the council, proposes that residents using the charger will pay a connection fee of 30 pence, but this will be £1 for taxis – along with the tariff charges.

Transport and environment convener, Cllr Lesley Macinnes, said: “Our ambitious electric vehicle infrastructure business case recognises the environmental benefits and increasing popularity of electric vehicles – not just amongst residents but for taxi and private hire drivers too.

“The business case is based on eight months of comprehensive research and data-gathering.”

Mate of mine licensed an electric car just before Xmas, for another mate to rent from him.

Renting mate was near suicidal due to the nightmare problems he had trying to get it charged. So the electric car licensed just before Xmas is now back with the dealers. First mate is £4,000 down.

Needless to say my mates are mates with me, but no longer with one another.

In short if you live in a flat or a terrace house, and thus have no access to a driveway or garage, don't get an electric car until they improve the distance you can go before you need a recharge.

And that's from me who is as big a fan of electric cars as you will find.

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IDFIMH