Oxford City Council installs Oxford’s first taxi rapid charging points

The first rapid electric taxi charging points in Oxford have been installed in East Oxford. The installation of the chargers is part of plans to install up to 19 electric vehicle points for taxis in order to support the trade in phasing out polluting vehicles and replace their vehicles with Ultra Low Emission taxis.

The two chargers provide four rapid charge points, to enable Oxford Licensed Hackney Carriage and Private Hire drivers to quickly charge their car batteries during breaks. The site is conveniently located, allowing operators to charge while visiting Oxford Central Mosque, the Manzil Way Health Centre or local businesses. The installation was delivered by Electric Blue working with Oxford Direct Services and ElectAssure. Electric Blue will also operate the charge points for the local taxi trade. To ensure the charging bays won’t be used incorrectly as parking bays, the site has been equipped with IBay charging sensors. Any vehicle parked without charging will trigger an enforcement request to Excel parking, who will ensure that the site is only used by charging EV taxis licensed in Oxford, and eligible EV permit holders. The Go Ultra Low project is funded by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles, Oxford City Council and Private Investment, and delivered in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council. The project will see taxi rapid chargers installed across the city to support taxi drivers in phasing out polluting vehicles and replace them with Ultra Low Emission taxis. Oxford City Council was awarded £370,000 of funding from the Government’s Office for Low Emissions Vehicles for the overall project. Oxford City Council will be providing Early Adopter Funding Support to the first 10 adopters of Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) private hire vehicles, and the first 10 adopters of ULEV Hackney Carriage vehicles that are licensed by the City Council.

Councillor Tom Hayes, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford: “Oxford is installing more and more electric vehicle chargers to make our Zero Emission Zone a practical reality, and I’m thrilled by the installation of our newest chargers in the recently revamped Manzil Way. Nobody wants boring landmarks scarring their community, alien to the place they’re based, so we’ve given our rapid chargers a splash of colour with distinctively East Oxford artwork.

“Not only will drivers be able to rapidly charge their cabs in places they’re routinely around, they‘ll also be able to use their downtime to buy a coffee or lunch, and fuel the local economy in the process. I’m sure the convenient location and rapid charging potential of our new Manzil Way chargers will encourage many more taxi drivers to go electric.”

Image credit: LEVC