Coventry’s taxi drivers are set to benefit from both a combination of new EV charge points, plus the option to trial running an electric taxi to see whether it would suit their situation, thanks to eVolt and Electric Blue.
Electric Blue is offering to rent taxi drivers an EV to ‘try before you buy’, in an attempt to eliminate the uncertainty for potential buyers. The trial follows other successful projects in Watford and St Albans, with diesel and petrol driving licenced taxi drivers able to switch to an electric model for a few weeks.
For drivers signing up to the trial, training is provided beforehand so that they can use the Dynamo Taxi – based on a Nissan e-NV200 – and EV charge points easily.
Electric Blue calculates that a driver could typically be better off by around £3,000 a year by switching to an EV. That’s based on completing 30,000-35,000 miles and an EV being 10-12p per mile more cost effective.
To support this, and to boost the public charging infrastructure in general, eVolt rapid charge points are being installed. Hale Street – close to one of the main ranks – is the the first location, with a triple AC/DC outlet Raption 50 kW charger installed for use by taxi drivers.
The trial starts in July, with charge points already being installed in Coventry on the Electric Blue network. To find existing Electric Blue chargers, use the network filters on Zap-Map desktop and app.
