A fleet of hydrogen-fuelled black cabs could be in service in time for the London Olympics in 2012.
A taxi cab, identical to the traditional London black cabs is currently being tested, with the aim that it will be ready for full road trials in time for the capital’s Olympic games.
The cab, developed by Lotus and Intelligent Energy uses hydrogen fuel cell technology and is capable of a top speed of 81mph, achieve a range of up to 250 miles on a full tank of hydrogen and reach 60mph in less than 14 seconds.
Henri Winand, of Intelligent Energy told the Guardian: "The intent is to take the taxis and retrofit a powertrain that has zero tailpipe emissions. But also it has to deliver some very important things: a reasonable range, very quick refuelling time and no modifying the passenger or driver space."
Unlike electric vehicles, the hydrogen-fuelled cabs will only take seconds to refuel while still offering the chance to generate their fuel source from clean source. In time, it is hope that hydrogen can be split from water using green energy sources such as solar power or wind energy.
London’s deputy mayor, Kit Malthouse, confirmed last year that by 2012 there would be six hydrogen filling stations in the capital, which will assist in the use of a hydrogen fleet. He also said that the city would aim for a fleet of around 20 to50 taxis in operation by then fuelled from green technology as part of the Black Cabs Go Green programme, as well as 150 hydrogen-powered buses.
Intelligent Energy designed and built the fuel cell, which uses hydrogen from a storage tank situated where the internal combustion engine usually sits. Electricity is generated when the hydrogen reacts with atmospheric oxygen in the fuel cell. The electricity is then feed to a battery pack under the floor of the taxi’s passenger area which then powers the wheels while the only emission from the tailpipe is water. Lotus is responsible for integrating the technology into the body of the traditional black cab.
