With production of the Ford Crown Victoria coming to an end in the States, it’s left a huge gap in taxi fleets and police municipalities. This has prompted Nissan to launch a pilot programme in New York City to study the feasibility of electric cabs such as the Nissan LEAF EV.
It’s estimated that on average a typical NY taxi drives around 180 miles in a 12-hour shift. This presents a challenge for the LEAF with its limited driving range and long recharging time in its current form. Nissan would have to develop a LEAF with a 200-mile travelling distance range and charging time of less than 12 hours.
Although an electric vehicle might cost even twice as much as a traditional taxi, it would certainly pay for itself in the long run if fuel cost savings were to be calculated. Now the question is only, which will be the first car company to convince the cabbies to go electric? Nissan will certainly be in the running.