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Nation's First Electric Taxi Frustrated by London Cab Restrictions
23 Jul 2008
The country's first "zero emission" taxi to be commercially available goes on show from today at the British International Motorshow in London.
But, although the E7 electric taxi will be on sale from October 2008, it will not be used in cities including London and Liverpool.
Glasgow-based Allied Vehicles, which specialises in mobility vehicles suitable for wheelchairs, has developed its electric taxi over the last three years. It is based on a Peugeot people carrier, but the company was told back in March that the E7 does not meet certain conditions required to run taxis in certain cities.
In particular, it has found that the E7 does not have a tight enough turning circle to meet conditions set out by the Public Carriage Office for taxis in London.
Gerry Facenna, chairman of Allied Vehicles, said: "We've had a positive response to electric vehicles from many local authorities, both in the UK and in Europe. However, it's a shame that London looks set to miss out, especially since its famous taxi fleet is currently responsible for 4% of all emissions in the capital."
Today saw London Mayor Boris Johnson setting out his plan to encourage the use of electric vehicles in the capital.
However, Transport for London confirmed today that the E7 will not be considered for London's streets unless its makers can demonstrate that it meets the turning circle requirements of the Conditions of Fitness 2007.
In Liverpool, Allied has linked up with disability groups to mount a legal challenge against the city council's refusal to licence the E7.
The challenge suggests that the council breached the Disability Discrimination Act by ruling out the wheelchair-friendly taxi.
Allied Vehicles is sticking by its Peugeot-based vehicle, arguing that it provides particularly good access for wheelchairs. However, a spokeswoman for the company said today that it was considering the options for complying with the Public Carriage Office conditions.
In particular, it is eyeing up the possibilities of rear-wheel steering systems to improve the turning circle.
The Allied Vehicles spokeswoman said: "There are benefits to using the Peugeot model, the rear is really very spacious and it's great for wheelchairs, so Allied is looking to new technologies to potentially get round the turning circle rule."
The E7 is appearing in the Electric Village section of the motorshow taking place at London Excel until August 3. It is powered by state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries developed by Dundee company Axeon Holdings.
The batteries give the E7 a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of 60mph.
The company claims the £39,450 E7 is now cheaper to run than a standard black cab because of rising fuel costs, and is now looking for local authority partners to install recharging points for their areas.
It estimates costs for the taxi at around £500 plus VAT each month to recharge the battery, compared to around £530 per month in fuel costs for a standard taxi.
Mr Facenna said: "In the current economic climate drivers are looking for ways to reduce costs and electric power offers an ideal solution, especially for congested urban areas where traffic is stop-start for much of the day."
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