Nissan’s electric taxi to hit London streets by 2015

Nissan has confirmed that its 100% electric taxi - the e-NV200 - will hit the streets of London in 2015 speeding up efforts to help the city meet 2020 pollution targets.


Introducing the new taxi next year, the vehicle will be years ahead of the Mayor’s 2020 target for the development of a zero-emissions taxi and will complement the low greenhouse gas emitting NV200, launching this year.

Compared to current diesel London taxis, the NV200 engine will be “far cleaner, with lower levels of NOx and particulates”, according to Nissan.

The two vehicles are a response to the Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s efforts to improve air quality in the city, which has involved introducing the first age limit for taxis in London.

Under the Mayor’s air quality strategy, black cabs more than 15 years old will lose their licenses from the Taxi and Private Hire Office.

The strategy looks largely at road transport, which is responsible for around 80% of airbourne pollution (PM10) in central London, with black cabs contributing 20% of this.

Meanwhile, 28 Nissan electric vans are being piloted by British Gas throughout the winter to determine the future viability of 100% electric vehicle technology as part of the utility company’s 13,000 home service vans fleet.

Nissan also announced in August last year that it is working with green energy company Ecotricity to install 13 new electric vehicle (EV) rapid chargers, increasing the total number of chargers in the UK to 97.

Leigh Stringer

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