As London continues in its ambitious efforts to make every minicab and taxi in the city a zero emission model by 2020, one of the leading electric car makers in China will be introducing its vehicles into the capital.
That’s because BYD Auto has signed a memorandum of understanding with Green Tomato Cars to bring 50 of its BYD e6 vehicles (pictured) to London as part of a minicab trial.
Currently, Green Tomato Cars is the second largest quality minicab service in the city and has a fleet of around 300 vehicles: now 50 of the electric BYD e6 models will be available to its consumers from the second quarter of 2013.
If you’re not familiar with the BYD e6, it is a five-seat crossover vehicle that includes a 75kW motor and lithium-ion iron phosphate batteries. It has a reported range of 186miles on a single charge in urban conditions; as well as a top speed of 87mph. It is believed the batteries can be charged and discharged for more than 4,000 cycles.
The move to bring the BYD e6 to London was supported by London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional organisation for London.
According to Mayor London Boris Johnson, the introduction of the vehicles could have a major impact on air quality in the city.
“Every year the fleet is getting cleaner, making our city an even more attractive place to live, work and visit,” he said.
“Encouraging many more electric vehicles is a key part of this transformation, so it is great news that Green Tomato Cars has committed to operating 50 of these super clean machines from next year.”
Paul is a freelance writer with a background in everything from motoring to finance; and holidays to women's undergarments he just writes about them, honestly! He has now sadly crept into his early 30s and seems to have forgotten everything learned at school Still, he's a green car fanatic and isn't that what counts?
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