Residents and visitors in Brighton and Hove could soon find themselves being ferried around the city in a new electric taxi.
Local driver Tony Turner is now picking up passengers having taken ownership of his new TX Electric Taxi, the second to be registered in the city.
The hybrid taxi has a range of 60-80 miles using a fully charged battery and can run for up to 377 miles using a petrol fuelled generator to maintain the battery’s charge.
Tony said “I’d had a lot of trouble with my old cab and was due a change, so I decided to bite the bullet and go electric. It’s fantastic and funny because you’re driving it and you can hardly hear the engine.
“I’ve got a home charger and to fully charge the battery costs me about £3. I’m probably saving between £150 – £180 a week.
“I’ve always been for helping the environment and improving air quality and really this was the only way to go.”
Brighton and Hove City Council will soon be installing four new rapid charging hubs for taxis and more than 200 on-street chargers. The council already offers a 50% discount on parking permits for eligible, low emission vehicles.
Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee Anne Pissaridou said: “I’m pleased to see another low emissions taxi on the streets of Brighton and Hove.
“The council has set an ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2030 and the more electric vehicles we have on our roads, the better. I hope this will encourage more taxi drivers in the city to consider purchasing a low emissions vehicle in the future.
“Our electric vehicle infrastructure is continuing to grow. Tony will soon be able to use one of our new rapid charging hubs and we’re also installing more than 200 new on-street chargers. Electric vehicle use is growing and we will continue to support owners where we can.”
Except it’s not a true electric vehicle but a “plug in hybrid” as the taxi can only do 60 miles on battery and then has to switch to petrol. As long as they can keep topping up the battery its great, otherwise its just another petrol taxi.
It’s similar to the new ULEZ hybrid buses operated by Brighton and Hove Buses – they still generate CO2 and NOx outside the zero emission zone.
And to put it into perspective, how many taxis operate in the city and what percentage are diesel? When will the council force new taxis to be proper EVs or at least hybrids?
That is absolutely spot on , well said !