Taxi drivers in the UK capital will soon come to terms with electric taxis, whether they want to or not. Five different manufacturers have been given the go ahead to launch the taxis in time for the planned switchover to zero emission vehicles by 2018. It is expected that after that, hydrogen fuel-cell designs will follow suit.
Manufacturers of the vehicles claim that the taxis are designed to be able to compete at a cost level with the diesel models that are currently on the market. However, this will be once the purchase and running costs have been taken into consideration.
There are already at least two companies keen on manufacturing these vehicles in the UK, Ecotive and London Taxi Company (LTC) which is a Chinese owned company. Nissan has already unveiled its cleaner version of a London taxi. Besides these, Karsan and Mercedes have also thrown their hats in the ring for these revolutionary models that are bound to change the industry.
