Nissan Leaf EV Taxi Cab Spotted

[SVOboy]

Okay, I know the photo isn’t great, but I didn’t have much time to snap a picture on my phone and the car had already disappeared by the time I returned. For those of your who can’t quite make out the photo, it is of a Nissan Leaf standing in the taxi line. While I [...]

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[MetroMPG]

That's cool, Mr Ben.

What city were you in when you spotted it?

I suppose taxi duty is one application where battery swapability makes sense. Same reason electric forklifts are capable of pack swaps between shifts, so they can keep doing that Energizer bunny thing.

[Daox]

Very cool. I can't even imagine how much energy they save by not idling constantly alone...

[NachtRitter]

Wonder if the government covers some (or most) of the cost of the EV...?

[Mustang Dave]

Originally Posted by NachtRitter

Wonder if the government covers some (or most) of the cost of the EV...?

The government has NEVER covered the cost of ANYTHING! THAT burden has always been on the TAXPAYERS!

[NachtRitter]

Agreed... and that's true for any entity that launders money, government and corporations alike... it is the taxpayer / consumer that pays.

But my point was - does the government give the taxi cab companies an incentive to purchase EVs, offsetting the reduced amount of time that the EV can be on the road compared to the ICE vehicle. If not, I'd be surprised they can be competitive.

[DonR]

I think location & climate will play a huge part in the success of this use of an electric vehicle. You would need a very concentrated city with a temperate climate. A cabbie waiting at the Houston Airport running the AC on a 100° day waiting to drive somebody an hour across town won't get many fares per charge. Neither will one in NYC when it's 5°.

Maybe a special Taxi package that packs extra insulation (which they should all have anyway) and extra batteries (front passenger side being wasted), without all the electronic crap that will drain the batteries should be made available from the manufacturer. I don't know if a custom made solar panel roof would ever pay for itself or not.

I think the energy savings while driving in stop & go traffic would be staggering.

Don