Electric cars rapidly multiplying is good news. They clean up urban pollution (well, prevent more of it). With an expanding electric taxi fleet in Madrid, the city is aligning itself as a cleantech-focused metropolitan center similar to Amsterdam. Nissan reports that La Ciudad del Taxi is adding 110 new Nissan LEAFs with 30 kWh batteries. The 30 kWh Nissan LEAF is quite capable, with 26% more range than the 1st-generation LEAF I drive.
Jesús Ramos Fernández, president of La Ciudad del Taxi, states: “This operation will set the standard for the mobility of the future as far as the taxi industry is concerned.”
Gas2.com also carried the news regarding this world-record electric taxi fleet, pointing out that the LEAF EV is ideal for taxi service in a congested city like Madrid. “Its compact size makes it easy to maneuver in traffic and its low operating costs are appealing to fleet operators. On average, the cost of electricity and maintenance for a LEAF is about 25% of what it would be for a conventional taxi with an internal combustion engine.”
100 Nissan LEAFs and e-NV200s have previously been ordered for taxi fleets in Amsterdam, and 65 LEAFs in Budapest. So, Madrid slips past Amsterdam for the #1 spot now.
La Ciudad del Taxi writes, “we hope to have the support of government to move this project forward so that the taxi industry will be strengthened by these measures, since at present it is going through serious difficulties.”
And, since charging stations are a critical part of an EV transition, “Madrid City Council has also confirmed it is ready to install charging infrastructure across the capital.”
This article was originally posted on Cleantechnica. Re-produced with permission.
