4 ms·

I grant that there's a lack of electric buses and trucks in western countries but how is a taxi different from a normal car? Build electric cars and you can hav

I grant that there's a lack of electric buses and trucks in western countries but how is a taxi different from a normal car? Build electric cars and you can have electric taxis? There are counter examples though. The Deutsche Post, the german postal service, wanted to electrify their fleet and bought the company StreetScooter GmbH [0] because there were no other eletric vans available to replace their VW Caddys. They scaled up the production to 10000 vans a year in 2017 and a second factory producing another 10000 vans per year should begin operations in 2018. They are pretty common in cities and surrounding areas now but less so in rural areas as they lack the necessary range. Demand seems to exceed production at the moment, as far as I know they have quite a number of other potential buyers for these cars. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StreetScooter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StreetScooter

chiefalchemist 8y ago
I'm not sure of the exact details but taxis are different. Think of any big city taxi - NYC, London, etc. - you've ever gotten into. Bigger. Boxier. More trunk space, etc. Now consider GM's plant closing in the USA. Plants are configured to produce certain vehicles. Volume matters. Yes, cars and taxis are close, but for a number of reasons probably not as close as you think.
- kd5bjo 8y ago
  Until recently, the most common vehicle I saw being used as a taxi was a Ford Crown Victoria -- a large standard sedan with an aftermarket partition between the front and back seats.
  - masklinn 8y ago
    Indeed the vast, vast majority of taxis throughout the world are fairly standard large sedans and hatchbacks with either aftermarket or manufacturer-provided modifications. The UK (and especially London and its famous purpose built "black cabs") is probably the biggest exception (the models are exported and can be found outside the UK, but I doubt that would be the case if TfL didn't have such stringent license regulations that simple conversions are not an option).
  - ema 8y ago
    The taxis I have been driven in in Germany and Spain didn't even have a partition between the front and back seats. Honestly I would feel weird sitting in the back of a taxi when the shotgun seat is empty. Must be some internalized egalitarianism.
    - rsynnott 8y ago
      In Ireland, it's normally, or at least common (it's not required) to sit in the front seat if in a taxi on your own. I think it's similar in some other countries.
  - akiselev 8y ago
    Most likely because they were mass produced by Ford for commercial fleets - most notably for many (if not most) police departments in the United States and Canada. Ford stopped producing them in 2011, so they've slowly been making their way out of the rotation.
- _Microft 8y ago
  Well, London cabs might be different but in continental Europe most taxis are slightly modified cars (signs, taximeter, ...) and not purpose-built vehicles. In Germany for example most common taxis are most likely Mercedes Benz E-class, even though that's changing in the last years.
SideburnsOfDoom 8y ago
> but how is a taxi different from a normal car? Build electric cars and you can have electric taxis? Aside from interior layout and a few things like a sign on top, the expected design for a London Black cab is a large, tall sedan, capable of city driving for many hours of the day, and with a very small turning circle. The new electric model London black Cab is https://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ https://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/first-electric-black-cabs-arrive-in-london-a3747246.html https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/first-electric-black-... https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/98450/new-tx-electric-london-taxi-priced-at-55599 https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/98450/new-tx-electric... They are assembled in the UK, but the maker is now owned (not sure if part or all) by Geely, a Chinese company.
- jordache 8y ago
  >The new electric model London black Cab is https://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ https://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ Why is that marketing site even needed? It's a product for a captive market
  - SideburnsOfDoom 8y ago
    I can take a guess: Electric Black Cabs are still quite rare on London streets, they don't have a huge market share. Black cab drivers have reputation for being curmudgeons who don't like new things, so good PR will help wean them off polluting diesel engine vehicles. Black Cabs aren't only sold in London, you will find the same vehicles elsewhere in the UK and abroad. And I suppose it might be a good promo for Geely's other present or future EVs.

chiefalchemist 8y ago

I'm not sure of the exact details but taxis are different. Think of any big city taxi - NYC, London, etc. - you've ever gotten into. Bigger. Boxier. More trunk space, etc. Now consider GM's plant closing in the USA. Plants are configured to produce certain vehicles. Volume matters. Yes, cars and taxis are close, but for a number of reasons probably not as close as you think.

kd5bjo 8y ago
Until recently, the most common vehicle I saw being used as a taxi was a Ford Crown Victoria -- a large standard sedan with an aftermarket partition between the front and back seats.
- masklinn 8y ago
  Indeed the vast, vast majority of taxis throughout the world are fairly standard large sedans and hatchbacks with either aftermarket or manufacturer-provided modifications. The UK (and especially London and its famous purpose built "black cabs") is probably the biggest exception (the models are exported and can be found outside the UK, but I doubt that would be the case if TfL didn't have such stringent license regulations that simple conversions are not an option).
- ema 8y ago
  The taxis I have been driven in in Germany and Spain didn't even have a partition between the front and back seats. Honestly I would feel weird sitting in the back of a taxi when the shotgun seat is empty. Must be some internalized egalitarianism.
  - rsynnott 8y ago
    In Ireland, it's normally, or at least common (it's not required) to sit in the front seat if in a taxi on your own. I think it's similar in some other countries.
- akiselev 8y ago
  Most likely because they were mass produced by Ford for commercial fleets - most notably for many (if not most) police departments in the United States and Canada. Ford stopped producing them in 2011, so they've slowly been making their way out of the rotation.
_Microft 8y ago
Well, London cabs might be different but in continental Europe most taxis are slightly modified cars (signs, taximeter, ...) and not purpose-built vehicles. In Germany for example most common taxis are most likely Mercedes Benz E-class, even though that's changing in the last years.

SideburnsOfDoom 8y ago

> but how is a taxi different from a normal car? Build electric cars and you can have electric taxis? Aside from interior layout and a few things like a sign on top, the expected design for a London Black cab is a large, tall sedan, capable of city driving for many hours of the day, and with a very small turning circle. The new electric model London black Cab is https://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ https://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/first-electric-black-cabs-arrive-in-london-a3747246.html https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/first-electric-black-... https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/98450/new-tx-electric-london-taxi-priced-at-55599 https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/98450/new-tx-electric... They are assembled in the UK, but the maker is now owned (not sure if part or all) by Geely, a Chinese company.

jordache 8y ago
>The new electric model London black Cab is https://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ https://www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk/ Why is that marketing site even needed? It's a product for a captive market
- SideburnsOfDoom 8y ago
  I can take a guess: Electric Black Cabs are still quite rare on London streets, they don't have a huge market share. Black cab drivers have reputation for being curmudgeons who don't like new things, so good PR will help wean them off polluting diesel engine vehicles. Black Cabs aren't only sold in London, you will find the same vehicles elsewhere in the UK and abroad. And I suppose it might be a good promo for Geely's other present or future EVs.