It's amazing how quickly some people can change their mind. In just a few weeks we see opinions go from:
"A complete green dream these politicians have, that don't live in the real world"
And
"They haven't ask one Taxi driver. They've turn up here today and said this is what you want, well no ones asked me"
Then low and behold, six weeks later, after being invited to a day out and a jolly up with the "lads", opinions completely changed to...
"I'm a great fan of electric vehicles, I think it's the future."
And
"It's like nothing that I've experienced before and I was just so impressed."
And
"I think with the MetroCab it gives the trade in London, a future".
Least We Forget:
These vehicles have absolutely no durability testing as of now. How good will the electric power train be after 2 years or 5 years?
Who is going to gamble £50k and find out?
Leading OEMs like Toyota have spent 20 years or more and billions of pounds developing their electric vehicle technology and experienced huge problems along the way, some of which have resulted in serious problems and massive recalls.
Fancy a gamble with your entire livelihood?
Guess who picks up the bill if it does go wrong?
You can guarantee it wont be Boris; he’ll be long gone.
With thanks to Dave Davies.
Editorial Comment
Yes, the MetroCab was always going to be a quieter drive, you don't need an NVQ in engineering to work that one out. It was also going to be smoother ride than a TX4. But then so would a ride in a Toyota Prius.
At around 50k with a huge question mark over the reliability of the battery pack modules, this could be the biggest gamble you could make.
The range quoted by Fraser Nash sounds fantastic but, batteries do not run at optimum performance for the duration if their life. Batteries only have a finite recharging life span. Just think about a new mobile phone and how you get less charge as the months go buy.
Surprisingly, the first ever mechanical Taxis in London were electric.
The Bersey was known as the “Hummingbird” from the sound of the Taxi and the yellow and black livery.
The electric Taxi was launched at a South Kensington motor show in 1896 and first appeared on the streets in 1897. As a publicity stunt, they took part in the London to Brighton race. But because of their limited range, spent most of the 60 miles on board a train and only appeared at the start and the end of the race.
On the streets of London, the vehicle would work until the batteries became low, then return to the re-charging station. Batteries were then replaced using a hydraulic lifting system that took just 2-3 minutes.
Electricity was expensive to generate so the company started producing their own at great expense.
However, after 6 months of use, the noise and vibration escalated. Vibrations damaged the delicate glass plates, the tyres wore out incredibly quickly given the 2 tonne weight of the cab. Breakdowns were frequent. Horse drawn cabs were often faster as well.
Two years after their debut the Bersey taxis disappeared from the roads. Taxis were not the only vehicles Walter Bersey designed. He designed a range of private electric vehicles but none are know to have survived.
In our opinion, the technology as it stands today, is not suitable for a modern Taxi trade.
Other Green News:
By transport correspondent Glen Alutto.
Boris has announced funding for new police vehicles.
The design is said to be a consequence of the all new Ultra Low Emissions Zone.
Plus TfL compliance officers are to get new zero emission vehicles.
