Largest taxi charging hub in the Nordics opens to help phase out diesel cabs by 2025

Image credit: Dantaxi

Denmark's biggest charging operator, E.ON, and taxi company Dantaxi have opened the largest taxi charging hub in the Nordics: Danhub – Powered by E.ON.

The site opened on 11 May and means up to 400 taxis will be able to charge every day in Copenhagen. Danhub means easier access to electric taxis, and the new charging facility is seen as a big step towards phasing out Copenhagen's 1,700 diesel taxis as early as 2025.

Dantaxi's Commercial Director, Vibeke Wolfsberg, has high hopes for the partnership with E.ON, which she thinks will benefit the city. Wolfsburg said: “From 11 May onwards, it will be easier to hail a fully charged electric taxi in Copenhagen. Most of the city's current approximately 300 electric taxis are a part of Dantaxi, and for the drivers, the problem of finding an available charging station has grown so big that the capacity of the in-demand zero-emission vehicles cannot be fully utilised.”

"We have wasted too much time chasing available electricity. Our taxis often drive around for too long without being able to find an available charging station. This affects the customers and also the owners of private electric cars who find that the electric taxis take up too many public charging stations. The partnership will benefit the people of Copenhagen, the local community, and the taxi drivers."

Wolfsberg estimates that the Danhub concept will lead to a boost in the number of electric taxis in the Danish capital, and she expects that Dantaxi will retire their last diesel car in Copenhagen as early as 2025. Wolfsberg added: "After the change in legislation and, of course, the Corona crisis, many Taxi owners are looking to change cars. An electric taxi brings more business and lower operating costs, but many have been hesitant because of the lack of charging stations. We estimate that this initiative will result in 200 new electric taxis on the streets of Copenhagen before the summer of 2022, and the number of diesel taxis will decrease accordingly. In our company, diesel taxis may disappear completely in four years."

Image credit: Dantaxi

Pär Möller, Head of eMobility Nordic, E.ON, commented: "A taxi drives approximately eight times as much as a private car – about 20 hours a day. That is why the environmental benefit is eight times greater when taxis switch to electricity. This is, of course, the most important thing. A great additional benefit is that we help fight air pollution in the cities when we make our transportation run on electricity.

"The electric taxis get access to the latest charging technology. The five ultra-fast chargers can charge up to ten taxis at a time. The ultra-fast chargers deliver the absolute fastest charging on the market, making them particularly important for taxis as they are not stationary for long periods of time unlike private cars. Ultra-fast chargers can charge up to 300 kW, and this means that all electric cars would be able to charge at the maximum power that the car's battery is made for."