Electric Vehicles

London’s famous public hire taxis have been getting greener – and now the capital’s private hire fleet is following the same route.

Since January 1, all new private hire taxis licensed for the first time must be able to operate in zero-emission mode. Vehicles that fail to meet the greener criteria will not be granted licenses.

The range and charging times of EVs are the biggest issues facing taxi drivers who have made the switch to greener motoring.

While they benefit from lower or no road tax, as well as not paying congestion zone or clean air charges, recharging their vehicles can be a major issue, especially if they have to wait their turn for the public charging network.

As taxi operators tackle the huge task of switching their fleet to electric vehicles, taxi insurance specialist Patons Insurance has created a special partnership to help make the transition go more smoothly.

Patons has teamed up with a leading EV charging equipment provider and installer to fit EV charging equipment.

Hundreds of thousands of rapid charging stations are needed to keep commercial vehicles such as black cabs and private hire taxis vehicles on the roads.

And London aims to lead the way with the electric vehicle revolution after Mayor Sadiq Khan announced 100 new ultra-fast electric vehicle charging points for the capital’s Red Route roads.

Taxi drivers who want to make the switch to electric vehicles are being hit by soaring interest rates as inflation continues to bite.

The UK taxi fleet will play a big part in cutting toxic vehicle emissions and many have already made the switch, with nearly half of London’s 15,000-strong black cab fleet now including EVs and dynamos.

Cutting pollution and making motoring cleaner are vital for the environment and people’s health, so it makes sense to encourage taxi drivers and other professional drivers who spend more time on the road, to make the switch.

But they will only move away from petrol and diesel vehicles if they can find a reliable and affordable electric alternative.

London’s iconic black cabs have turned a corner and there are now more green vehicles on the capital’s roads than the traditional diesel models.

Latest figures from Transport for London reveal that 43% of London’s fleet of almost 15,000 black taxis are now LEVC TX zero-emission capable (ZEC) or electric, with 6,352 TXe and Dynamo taxis now licensed in the capital.

Taxi drivers are calling for tariffs to be increased as the cost-of-living crisis continues to put the squeeze on people’s finances.

For the past year, we have all battled with rising fuel and energy costs, which have helped push up inflation. For public hire, private hire drivers and others who earn their living on the road, there has been little choice but to take a hit at the pumps.

Black cabs are charging their taxis wirelessly as part of a trial to bring more electric vehicles into the fleet and on to our roads.

One of the biggest obstacles to using EVs in the taxi fleet is range, with public hire and private hire drivers expressing concerns that the distance they can travel before having to recharge will prevent them operating efficiently.

Taxi drivers are understandably frustrated that environmental protesters are stopping them working – especially those who have already forked out on new electric cabs.

Just Stop Oil campaigners have frequently targeted London’s busy streets and been shown on the news causing huge congestion in and around the capital.

Taxi drivers play an important role in our communities and for more than 100 years have been a convenient, reliable and safe way for people to get around.

Passengers would regularly use the same private hire taxi firms and knew where to hail a black cab if they arrived at a train or bus station or other public venue.

One of England’s oldest taxi businesses is steering its way towards an all-electric fleet of taxis.

Whiteside Taxis in St Annes on Sea started with Handsome Cabs in 1880 and has seen many changes in the years that followed. But, as with the transition from Handsome Cabs to the Hackney and private-hire taxis we are familiar with today, it did not happen overnight.