Nissan Leaf Taxis
Discussion
Ok, as usual I am late to the party. Went into Nottingham recently and was surprised to be following a Leaf taxi.
I didn't think they would -
Be big enough
Have enough range
Further research suggests that there is a taxi firm in Cornwall running them too.
Still a bit surprised, and starting to think it might be viable for me if they can do it....
I didn't think they would -
Be big enough
Have enough range
Further research suggests that there is a taxi firm in Cornwall running them too.
Still a bit surprised, and starting to think it might be viable for me if they can do it....
mini1380cc said:
If you are running a taxi fleet properly then they are always working.
This is what I thought, hence my surprise OTH I guess there will always have to be some downtime for refuelling, cleaning, servicing etc so I guess some of that evens out. Even allowing for rapid charging, I was surprised they were viable - maybe they get charged for free or very cheap.That aside I had (perhaps foolishly) thought they'd be too small inside - like having a five-door Micra or Fiesta for a taxi - is that wrong? are they roomy inside?
V8forweekends said:
That aside I had (perhaps foolishly) thought they'd be too small inside - like having a five-door Micra or Fiesta for a taxi - is that wrong? are they roomy inside?
It's more Ford Focus sized.AFAIK the size requirements for taxi and mincab are not the same in London.
V8forweekends said:
That aside I had (perhaps foolishly) thought they'd be too small inside - like having a five-door Micra or Fiesta for a taxi - is that wrong? are they roomy inside?
A Leaf is a fairly big car. I'm over six foot and not small and I can sit behind myself with ease. As a taxi I reckon a Leaf would do 70 miles or so on an 80% quick charge. Given most runs are just a few miles in a city it might make sense. They're very efficient when waiting and so on...I commute in mine - about 35 miles a day. Easy.
It's proper C-hatchback size, so as mentioned above it's comparable to a Focus. However, the layout means you get a bit more room than that, with no tunnel and a nice flat floor.
Around town a 60-70 mile range is a reasonable expectation. It's at its best in town, as its gearing prefers low speed, it manages to recover a lot of energy in deceleration and of course it has no idle burn like an internal combustion engine. This means sitting in the rank waiting for a fare is a lot more efficient and silent. And less polluting, if that's your bag
. The running costs must be quite tempting too, with skinny tyres, very little brake wear and no engine to service.
I'm still surprised to see any in service as taxis, though. You can quick-charge them up to 80% capacity in half an hour, but that still seems like a fair chunk of downtime.
Around town a 60-70 mile range is a reasonable expectation. It's at its best in town, as its gearing prefers low speed, it manages to recover a lot of energy in deceleration and of course it has no idle burn like an internal combustion engine. This means sitting in the rank waiting for a fare is a lot more efficient and silent. And less polluting, if that's your bag
. The running costs must be quite tempting too, with skinny tyres, very little brake wear and no engine to service.I'm still surprised to see any in service as taxis, though. You can quick-charge them up to 80% capacity in half an hour, but that still seems like a fair chunk of downtime.
Well I did a LOT of research before buying my brand new Leaf Acenta.
It's on a PCP deal so I don't really own it, and it's going back after four years.
I won't go into the full details, because I did a lot of sums, but over a four year period it will cost me about £85/month more to drive a brand new Leaf than it would have cost to drive my nine year old Fabia Tdi. The Leaf is of course quieter, better equipped, bigger, more comfortable and much more pleasant to own.
We do of course have another car for those longer journeys, but for almost all of our driving, we'll be using the Leaf.
It's on a PCP deal so I don't really own it, and it's going back after four years.
I won't go into the full details, because I did a lot of sums, but over a four year period it will cost me about £85/month more to drive a brand new Leaf than it would have cost to drive my nine year old Fabia Tdi. The Leaf is of course quieter, better equipped, bigger, more comfortable and much more pleasant to own.
We do of course have another car for those longer journeys, but for almost all of our driving, we'll be using the Leaf.
Fast Bug said:
I supply Leaf's to a taxi company in central London. They all have the rapid charge option, so an 80% charge takes 30 minutes at the right charging points.
And presumably comes with a 4 or 5 figure bill for a new set of batteries very soon afterwards, given what fast-charging does to them?ChemicalChaos said:
Fast Bug said:
I supply Leaf's to a taxi company in central London. They all have the rapid charge option, so an 80% charge takes 30 minutes at the right charging points.
And presumably comes with a 4 or 5 figure bill for a new set of batteries very soon afterwards, given what fast-charging does to them?ChemicalChaos said:
Fast Bug said:
I supply Leaf's to a taxi company in central London. They all have the rapid charge option, so an 80% charge takes 30 minutes at the right charging points.
And presumably comes with a 4 or 5 figure bill for a new set of batteries very soon afterwards, given what fast-charging does to them?
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