By 
The auto industry is getting more and more exciting. Its continued growth is driven by innovations and advancements that are geared towards health and environmental concerns.
The minicab industry is no exception. In 2006, the industry was alerted to the environmental problems that minicabs can cause. According to a research article published that same year in the Atmospheric environment Journal, the riskiest way to travel was to sit in the back seat of a taxi, due to the amount of pollution one was exposed to. It was even worse than when walking or riding a bike.
New Policies
In January 2012, as part of the preparation for the London Olympics, London Mayor Boris Johnson launched a campaign encouraging London drivers to turn off their engines when picking up people, dropping off goods or if they were stationary for other reasons. more than a minute. The campaign stated that it causes less air pollution when we turn off our engines and simply restart after a minute instead of leaving the engine idling.
And of course, black cabs and minicabs were the main targets of this campaign. To ensure the success of the campaign, the government sent a team of taxi bosses to the hotspots of pollution in the capital to promote the campaign among black taxi and minicab drivers.
New cars
In July 2011, the low-carbon car show EcoVelocity declared that if only London’s black cabs were 100% electric, the city would save 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide pollution per week. Then EcoVelocity added that if the city’s minicabs were also 100% electric, that number would exceed 12,000 tons of CO2.
Well, the black taxi and minicab industries listened. In fact, as early as June 2011, even before EcoVelocity released its report, the first zero-emission black cab was launched. Running on a hydrogen fuel cell system, the only thing this cabin emitted was water vapor.
As for the minicabs, they certainly weren’t going to let the competition gain too much ground. Minicab company ClimateCars started putting Prius hybrids on the road in 2011. In 2012, they launched their 100% electric minicab, the 94HP Renault Fluence ZE car, which reaches up to 115 miles per charge and provides passengers with a comfortable, spacious environment. and complete. quiet ride while contributing to London’s efforts for cleaner air.
By the way, trips on Fluence are charged only according to the distance they have traveled, so customers stuck in traffic won’t have to worry about having to pay for driver time.
New services
There’s another benefit to riding the 100% electric minicab: Fluence passengers receive free bottled water. Admittedly, it’s not a very eco-friendly practice and it may not last long, but it was originally part of the effort to encourage people to book the greenest minicab.
One of the most important factors in the success of the 100% electric black taxi and minicab campaign is the network of charging stations installed in London by Mayor Johnson.
For his part, the Mayor stated: “The increasing adoption of zero emission electric vehicles is great for London as it helps us deliver cleaner and healthier air. I am delighted to see my network of Source London charging points in constant expansion is now helping to support this fantastic new green fleet presented by ClimateCars. “