Article from BTNews 25 FEBRUARY 2019
Electric London Taxis
There are more than 20,000 taxis operating in the capital. As of February 2019, the electric fleet is just 1,200 but growing very fast. Something under half come under the banner of Sherbet London Taxis, with a fleet of plug-in hybrid British-built black cabs assembled by the famous London Taxi Company of Coventry (now officially the London EV Company).
Last week, Business Travel News took a ride in a Sherbet taxi from the Boeing London offices, at the Westminster end of Victoria Street, to the Business Travel Show, Olympia. Cost: £28 for 20 silent minutes.
Perhaps it was the full roof glass sun-top, but the six-seat cabin seemed larger than usual. There is wheelchair access, full air-conditioning and a superb two-way speaker enabling BTN to connect with the driver, Alan, who had taken delivery just three weeks previously. USBs were provided and the wi-fi worked very well.
“Absolutely delighted”, he said. “The range is up to 150 miles, but for practical purposes I can stop for lunch and top-up.” With the hybrid, there is no chance of running out of power. The cabs are not cheap at £55,000-plus, but Alan says he is already saving on fuel and contributing to the reduction of toxic pollution.
London's Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) comes into effect on 8 April.
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