Taxi Driver Online

North Wales taxi boss tried to go green but bid ended in failure - this is why



A Rhyl taxi firm boss tried to go green with a major investment he hoped would support the business and the planet.

Steve Derby spent close to £50,000 on two MG5 electric cars for his cab firm Busy Bee Taxis - replacing diesel vehicles.

He wanted to help reduce costs to power his vehicles and do his bit for climate change at the same time, with the idea first raised with him by Denbighshire council.

But after just a few weeks he has been forced to return the cars and go back on to diesel.

The reason for this was that the infrastructure for rapid charging is not in place.

This has meant long charging waits or Steve driving to a rapid charger at Bodelwyddan - sometimes in the middle of the night.

He said: "We invested in the MG5 which can do 214 miles on a full charge.

"On average a driver will do between 100 and 150 miles on a shift so the idea was there would be a day driver working till 4pm, put the car on charge and at 5pm the night driver would take over."

He understood a 50 minute charge would give an 80% charge of the battery - meaning that hour between 4pm and 5pm would fill up the already part charged battery for the night shift.

But he said: "The reality is that on a bad day when it's nippy and raining, you put the wipers and heating on and maybe lights, and instead of bringing the car back at 4pm with 60% it was more like 30%."

Then there was the issue with charging power - with them initially trying just charging from the rank which was taking 15 hours for a complete charge. They tried a Morrisons charger over the road where they had a rapid 50KW charger but said they've never had that level of charge from it and are also paying more for the power.

Steve added: "Also my idea of going over at 4pm often didn't work out because someone else would be on it so there was no charger.

"The only true 50KW charger was on the A55 at Starbucks in Bodelwyddan. I was there at 2am in the morning charging these cars, trying to get them ready for the next day.

"The night drivers were having to take time out to charge. It just didn't work."

Steve enquired about rapid chargers at the rank but was told told if he fitted a 50KW charger it would take away any electric from the rank and planned new shop while charging. They are also £24,000 each.

He has been able to return the cars - although has lost around £1,000 on each.

Steve added: "We wanted to do the right thing and tried every avenue but the infrastructure is not there at the moment.

"It's fine for a normal driver who can charge overnight at home but they don't work for us at the moment until that infrastructure improves."

He has been told that Denbighshire council is installing four additional fast chargers but are currently seeking suitable locations that are convenient and have access to sufficient power, which is not an easy task.

_________________
IDFIMH

So didn't do too much research before splashing out £50k on two cars?


Amazed that's all he's lost. A brand new £25k car on the road would normally lose more than £1k in value just by putting it on the road for a few weeks, surely, never mind as a taxi?

I've mentioned it before on here that one of my mates did something similar, think he lost £2,000 ish, and ended a friendship with another mate.

I'm a massive fan of electric cars, but I'm a bigger fan of having a viable livelihood and enough money to eat.

_________________
IDFIMH

electric is NOT the future hydrogen is

The "strides" allegedly made in Battery technology are hitting a brick wall for all the research they haven't come up with batteries that can absorb and discharge energy at a high enough rate. The nearest thing they have found are batteries that need to kept at several hundred degrees centigrade to work

The sooner they realise this the better hydrogen is viable if enough money went into it's development

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Well this guy seems happy enough with his MG...


Green history made as first fully-electric taxi licensed in Breckland

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/breckland- ... xi-8009954


Image: Eastern Daily Press/Breckland District Council

The first fully-electric private hire taxi in Breckland has been licensed by the district council, paving the way for greener transport options in the region.

Owned by Dereham-based taxi driver Peter Sessions, the fully-electric MG vehicle is already ferrying passengers across the district. As the local authority, Breckland is responsible for licensing all taxi drivers and vehicles to ensure the public receive a safe and reliable service.

Peter, the owner of JMS Taxis, said: “I’ve done about 3,000 miles in my electric vehicle since the council granted my licence and it’s been fantastic.

“I needed an additional vehicle, so I checked out the reviews for electric vehicles and decided to take the plunge: it’s been the best decision I ever made!

“The savings I’ve made on fuel have been considerable and I can pass them on to the customer, and it’s better for the environment – it’s a win-win. The customers have all been really positive about it, especially the children I drive to school: they love it."

He added: “I’ve been using an app that tells you about handy charge points and now I’ve just had a charge point installed in my home so I can charge the vehicle cheaply overnight. It’s a lot easier than you might think to switch to electric – I’d recommend it to any taxi driver.”

The council’s executive member for environmental and public protection, Gordon Bambridge, said: “I’m delighted we now have the first fully-electric taxi in our district.

“As an organisation, we are always looking at ways to reduce our own impact on the environment and are committed to working with local businesses and householders to find ways to do the same.

“With more charging points being installed in the district, it is becoming easier than ever to make the switch to electric vehicles, as this taxi driver has proven.”

The licensing marks the latest milestone in Breckland becoming more environmentally-friendly, as the council moves towards being carbon neutral by 2035.

Earlier this year, Breckland adopted its inaugural sustainability strategy and work is underway to reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint as well as putting in place initiatives to support local residents to take action for themselves.

These will include a community green grants programme, tree-planting schemes, installing additional electric vehicle charging points, and improving council building energy-efficiency levels.

Ah, that explains it. And no double-shifting, presumably


Er, no

By the way, hope everyone noticed this was the same guy who's opening the 24-hour shop and taxi office in Rhyl. I noticed immediately

He's obviously a Busy Bee, though. Or was that Peppa Pig

and what about the higher purchase costs, depreciation etc.

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector