The engineer who managed to turn an old diesel black cab into a fully electric taxi has celebrated 10,000 successful test miles.
The firm behind the technology, Clipper Automotive, was set up by two experts in their field, Dr Alexander Howard and Janosch Oppermann. Their aim has always been to turn diesel black taxis into Zero Emission Capable (ZEC) vehicles. After completing 10,000 test miles the pair are looking to expand their offering to other vehicles that could benefit from the conversion too.
The tech start-up firm has hinted that a fleet of FULLY ELECTRIC black taxis could be made available to drivers in some regions for a fraction of the current rental price.
In the quest to speed up its green credentials, the taxi industry may have found an interim solution to quickly convert more of its current fleet into more cost effective and environmentally friendly taxis.
The London taxi industry has already invested heavily in EV taxis since new vehicle regulations were introduced in January 2018. However the take up on ZEC taxi remains slow across many regions of the UK due to initial high vehicle costs, a lack of choice on the market and worries over the rising cost of finance due to high interest rates.
Since then over 6,700 electric taxis have been licensed by Transport for London (TfL), leaving around 8,000 licensed diesel cabs still working in the capital.
Janosch Oppermann, Co-Founder of Clipper Automotive, said: “Ten thousand miles driven in our Clipper Cabs! They are real today!
“There are a lot of innovations that never make it past the power point stage or off the test bench - well ours did.
“I am immensely grateful we have built something that has shown to work in the real world.
“Taxis are just the beginning, our EV system can fit into lots of vehicles that need to be electrified. To be continued.”
