FUTURE TAXI RANK: WiCET shares progress on UK’s first wireless charging taxi rank
Work is now well underway in Nottingham on a first of its kind electric vehicle charging system in the UK which allows electric taxis to charge wirelessly while they wait for passengers.
The City Council secured £930,000 from the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK for the Wireless Charging for Electric Taxis (WiCET) project.
This is a UK first involving both London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) and Nissan Dynamo electric taxis, placing Nottingham at the forefront of green technology innovation.
Nottingham has big ambitions to become carbon neutral by 2028. Currently the taxi fleet includes 54 electric taxis – the largest number operating outside London.
Once work on the Trent Street rank is complete, five wireless charging pads installed into the road will allow local taxi drivers to charge as they wait. Drivers will simply drive over the charging equipment, start their charge, and drive away once they have passengers.
A WiCET spokesperson said via social media: “Sneak peak at the wireless charging taxi rank in Nottingham.
“Four of the wireless charging ground pads have been installed in the road so far, and the final adjustments are being made to the Living Object Protection (LOP) pillars.
“There's a vibrant lick of paint too.”
Five LEVC TX taxis and four Nissan Dynamo electric taxis have been fitted with wireless charging systems and loaned to drivers for the trial. The aim of the trial is to provide insight and learning into how the technology can be developed for the future.
