and after picking up more shares today, its nice to see a front page article in the paper on my way to work about london black cabs going electric and the beneficial economics to drivers, pollution effects to us londoners and superior travel experience to customers and drivers.
a few quotes from the article:
“the levc tx eCity black cab is now being used in taxis in london, edinburgh, amsterdam, hamburg and oslo.
it is a range extender plug in hybrid, with a 1.5L volvo petrol engine that isnt used to drive the wheels but rather to top up the batteries if they run low.
its electric only range is 80 miles, while the average london cabbie drives 200miles per day, but can use one of central london’s hundreds of electric charging points to top up the batteries to 80% in 20-25mins while they take a food / toilet break. the cost of a full charge is £2.80.
the average cabbie saves £80 ($150) on fuel each week compared to the previous diesel model. this equates to £4,000 per year. the cab costs £10,000 more (55k vs 44k) but most blackcabs are purchased via a 5year plan so its 2,000 more per year purchase but overall they save 2,000 per year due to fuel savings.
most london cabbies think saving £10,000 ($aud 19,000) over 5 yrs is a no brainer.
the new electric hybrid model also has new features including a massive sunroof lighting the cabin and that tourists love for viewing, multiple phone and laptop charging ports, an extra seat, more leg space, a slide out wheelchair and pram accessible ramp for the first time, wheelchairs can face forward for the first time, and the ride is completely quiet and smooth.
the mod cons also get cabbies excited, including a touchscreen panel, parking sensors, automatic lights, automatic wipers and a sat nav.
the cab drives well according to cabbies. there a are two regenerative braking models which boost the batteries whilst driving.
given the ongoing public health crisis in london due to dangerous nitrous oxide gas levels in the air affecting most schools and suburbs due to diesel engine emissions, this transition to hybrids and pure electrics is being strongly adopted by cabbies and strongly encouraged by the city of london.”
nice article. note most ubers here are already priuses too. it demonstrates to me that society is changing and the ev revolution has arrived well and truly in europe. demand growth will outstrip or at least match supply and li prices will be fine. ore is at the bottom of the cost curve so even if prices drop, they will still be highly profitable when most others shut down operations, thus they are safe through the commodity cycle.
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