Nissan Leaf Taxi Testing Begins

November 2nd, 2011 by Zachary Shahan

Nissan Leaf taxis for NYC are moving forward. Will Nissan Leaf taxis be the norm in a few years?

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Tags: New York, Nissan Leaf, nissan leaf taxis, NYC, nyc nissan leaf taxis, nyc nissan taxis, nyc taxis, quickies

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.

http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan

Thanks
http://profiles.google.com/healthyelijah Elijah Lynn

Zach, I think the Tesla’s would make a good cab. I also think the Leafs would as well because they would be easier to maneuver. I also think there is quite a niche market in NYC who would pay more for eco cabs in the beginning. I would also suspect that Nissan or Tesla make their batteries modular so that the user can swap out with another battery. If they go the iPhone route then it will kill them. I spoke with some reps at the Classic Car Club in Manhattan the other day while they were demoing the Tesla S and they did mention the Tesla S may be a candidate for modular batteries and were still looking into it. The Tesla S’s battery takes up the whole floor panel so I am not sure how it would work but the future is modular batteries with quick release. This way batteries can become a non-issue and you can swap them out just like you can a propane tank.
- Anonymous
  
  The Tesla S does have swap-able batteries.
  
  I really doubt that the future is swap-able batteries. I’ve said it many times, but I’ll say it again.
  
  A 200 mile range and < 20 minute 80% charges will make EVs fully functional for long distance trips. Drive 200, charge, drive 160, charge, drive 160. You've now done a 500 mile driving day with only two brief stops.
  
  With an ICEV you're going to have to stop once for fuel and few people would drive 500 miles without stopping a couple of times anyway.
  
  Swap-able batteries bring all sorts of difficulties to the table. First, you can't own the batteries. Second, there are going to be all sorts of additional costs due to the need to establishing swap stations with their expensive equipment and keeping an ample number of spare batteries on hand.
  
  Battery swapping might catch on, but I'm not putting any money into it. I think it much more likely we'll see affordable EVs with 200+ ranges in the next few years.
  - http://profiles.google.com/healthyelijah Elijah Lynn
    
    Yeah, you are probably right. The only way I see it catching on is if all cars used one standard battery. That might happen once all cars are open source, but that will take a while!
Anonymous

EV’s do not have a range issue per se. A range limit is enforced by CHEVRON OIL who has kept the world’s best EV battery in a patent prison for nearly a decade. The French company BOLLORE has a new type of Lithium Iron Polymer battery used in the AUTOLIB cars in Paris they go 155miles on a charge. Instead of using the feeble Nissan Leaf a normal size NYC cab could hold a Bollore battery 3 times the size and at least double the range likely more of the AUTOLIB BlueCar. The Nissan Leaf is NOT the right candidate for a taxi it is too small and enforces the SMALL stereotype of electric cars. In fact the larger the vehicle the more room for more battery so the key is bigger vehicles not smaller. The Nissan Leaf has a worse drive range and charge up time than the EV’s of the late 1990’s. Would anyone sell a laptop or cellphone in 2011 with 1995 spec ?!!! If it is from a major car brand the EV will always be designed to fail as they are part of the OIL MAFIA. Only people like TESLA and BOLLORE are sincere and making EV tech to the best of their ability. The forthcoming TESLA MODEL S top version will have a 300 mile range. London Blackcabs or big traditional NYC taxis could hold enough battery for between 400 to 600 miles range. Same with an SUV or limo.
- Anonymous
  
  You can go 1,000 miles per charge if you put large enough batteries in the car. BYD uses a 48kW pack to get a 200 mile range, Nissan uses a 24kW pack to get a 100 mile range. The 300 mile range Tesla S uses a 85kW battery pack.
  
  Batteries are expensive and heavy.
  
  If the French have invented a better battery, great. But range is not the metric to use, it’s cost per kW or weigh per kW that are important.
  
  The batteries of the ’90s are crude compared to today’s batteries. But we still aren’t where we need to be.
- http://profiles.google.com/healthyelijah Elijah Lynn
  
  howard444: I do not disbelieve your statement about Chevron owning a patent for batteries. Can you post a source for this though, it would go a long way in public education.
  - Anonymous
    
    Here’s some background on the Chevron/NiMH battery/EV1 stuff.
    
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_encumbrance_of_large_automotive_NiMH_batteries
    
    Let me paste a bit…
    
    “The current trend in the industry is towards the development of lithium-ion (Li-Ion) technology to replace NiMH in electric vehicles. Some manufacturers[who?] maintain that NiMH batteries are important to the commercialization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV)s and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) because Li-Ion technology, while functionally superior due to its higher specific energy and specific power, is prohibitively expensive and relatively untested with regards to its long-term reliability.”
    
    There’s nothing particularly expensive about lithium-ion batteries. There’s no pounds of diamonds in them. The lithium in the Nissan Leaf batteries costs less than the platinum in a catalytic converter for a gas vehicle.
    
    The cost is all about ‘new technology’. Once dedicated plants are up and running, cranking out these puppies, the price will fall. It’s already starting to fall. A couple of years back the price of lithium-ion batteries was $1,000/kW. Now it’s reported to be around $400/kW and I’ve seen posts about there being existing 2012 delivery contracts set at $250/kW.
    
    We’ve got more than six new battery plants coming on line in the US. Because of the state of the economy demand is going to be low. That most likely means that prices will fall quickly as plant managers work to keep their operations going while they wait for the market to recover. Better to scrape by on minimal margins than to go bankrupt.
    - http://profiles.google.com/healthyelijah Elijah Lynn
      
      Wow! That was quite the read, thanks for posting it!
Anonymous

City cars don’t need to be as aerodynamic as cars that get regular highway use. Why not make a body style better suited for city taxi use?

Bump the roof height up a bit for easier access. Create a generous rear luggage/grocery area accessible through a rear door. Maybe stretch it out a bit and offer more legroom and a set of fold down rear-facing seats behind the driver.

The BYD e6 seems to be working well as a taxi. Some put in 60,000 miles in their first year of service. The charging was done mostly with rapid (Level 3) chargers and after 100,000 miles of use the batteries are holding up well. The e6 has a 200 mile range, which would be an improvement over the Leaf and Focus with their 100 mile range.