As part of an effort to determine whether current electric vehicle models make sense for use in crowdsourced taxi services like Uber, the company will be rolling out a fleet of 30 BYD e6s and 20 Nissan LEAFs in London, according to recent reports.
The move marks the first time that Uber has used electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK. Considering the inter-city pollution reduction policies in effect, and slated to go into effect in the future, in London, the city is probably a perfect candidate for the testing of crowdsourced EV taxi feasibility. Such “emission-exclusion zones” are likely to become increasingly common in many cities over the coming decades.
Autoblog provides more, stating, “the idea here is to test out whether or not it makes sense for for-hire companies to use EVs. The 50 vehicles are part of a study run by the Energy Savings Trust (EST) and Uber. EST’s mission is to find out how Uber drivers use the EVs and if there are enough charging stations in the city to make their work feasible.”
While this marks the first time that Uber has utilized all-electric vehicles in the UK, the firm did a similar such project in Chicago last year.
The head of Nissan Europe’s electric vehicles division, Gareth Dunsmore, commented in a public statement that the project “could prove to be a pivotal moment for tackling the challenges in London.”
It should be remembered that as battery and EV technologies improve, and economies of scale come into play more, crowdsourced EV taxis will become more and more economically attractive as an option.
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