Electric Taxi Cabs Gaining Traction on Multiple Continents

In 1897, when Henry Ford was still tinkering with his first Ford Quadricycle, electric taxis were already in service in New York City and London. However, as gasoline engine cars took hold, electric cabs were abandoned because of their limited range. Now that electric vehicles are likely to be sold in relatively large volumes, electric taxi could reappear.

Two electric taxi prototypes have debuted in London. They are based on vehicles from Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, two of Europe’s largest producers of taxi cabs. The third demonstration project is in Tokyo, a city that has some 60,000 taxis – more than London, Paris, and New York combined.

The Mercedes Vito was co-developed by Eco City Vehicles, One80 Ltd., and Mercedes-Benz as an alternative to the traditional black TX4 taxi used in London. The Vito has captured over a 30 percent share of taxi sales in London. The eVito, an all-electric version of the Vito, uses a 70 kW Zytek electric drive system powering the front wheels through a custom designed Vocis/Graziano transmission. A 38 kWh Valence lithium-ion battery is located in a weatherproof enclosure beneath the floor so interior space is not sacrificed.

One80 Ltd.’s rear-wheel steering technology is used in both the Vito and eVito to meet London’s Public Carriage Office requirement for a minimum turning circle of 25 feet. The vehicle has a top speed of up to 75 mph. With zero emissions, it should meet London’s proposed new clean air taxi standards to be introduced in time for the London Olympics.

The Volkswagen Milano Taxi is an electric concept designed specifically for taxi drivers and passengers. For example, using a newly developed two-axis mechanism, the single swivel-sliding door opens far forward on the passenger’s side and extends well into the roof for easy passenger access. Like the Volkswagen Transporter Samba Bus of the 1950s, there are windows above the doors. Volkswagen plans to produce its first electric vehicles in 2013.

Like the iconic London black taxis, there is no front passenger seat in the Milano Taxi. Instead, the instrument panel in this area is modified and more space is allocated to accommodate more luggage Not only does this make it easier to load luggage, there is an impressive amount of leg room for the passenger sitting behind the luggage.

The Milano Taxi, with a top speed of 75 mph is driven by an electric motor with a peak power output of 85 kW and 50 kW of continuous power. The motor is supplied by a 45 kWh lithium-ion battery pack integrated in the underbody. It has a range of up to 185 miles and the battery can be charged to up to 80 percent of its capacity in just over one hour. The connector for charging the batteries is located beneath a VW logo on the hood.

Better Place, which plans to introduce its battery switching technology in Israel and Denmark in late 2011, is demonstrating the world’s first switchable battery electric taxi in Tokyo. For the Tokyo electric taxi project, Better Place and Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo’s largest taxi operator, are operating three switchable battery electric taxis. The taxis are gasoline powered Nissan crossover utility vehicles converted to electric power, with the switchable batteries provided by A123 Systems.

The Tokyo switch station features integrated battery storage, charging, and optimal thermal management systems. The station offers nearly continuous battery charging for three vehicles with charging designed to optimize battery life and vehicle performance. Batteries can be switched in less than five minutes.

Unlike ordinary passenger EVs, electric taxis will operate nearly continuously and drive many more miles daily. Thus, this taxi project will demonstrate the duration, durability, and robustness of the battery switching technology and battery resistance to degradation under more challenging operating conditions.