London’s cab drivers are renowned for their worldly wise views on everything from politics to sports – but now their hot topic is the environment with their famous black cabs about to turn green.
Don’t worry, it’s not a coat of paint for the iconic vehicles – instead Coventry-based manufacturer Manganese Bronze is working on an electric version of the TX4 cab. It is hoped that a plug-in version of the taxi will be released by the middle of 2009.
With one charge of a lithium-ion battery the cabs will be able to run for 100 miles. On average the typical cab driver travels between 120 and 150 miles a day so two charges will be enough to power the cabs for a full day’s work.
There are a number of benefits too. Not only will the new green cabs drastically reduce emissions in the London area, but they will save money for the cab companies. At current electricity prices the green taxi will cost around 4p a mile to run. By contrast, a weekly spend on diesel for a cab is between £70 and £80 – averaging between 8.5p and 9.3p a mile.
Of course there is a downside as the vehicles will be expensive at first due to the electric engine. Currently a black cab costs between £30,000 and £43,000 depending on its specification – Manganese Bronze has yet to state how much it expects the green cabs to cost.
If the venture receives the backing of taxi drivers and proves successful, then it is expected that a similar scheme could be carried over to China where Manganese has a joint venture with Shanghai LTI.
So what do you think of the green cab scheme? Is it too expensive? Or are the rewards worth the outlay? Let us know.
