The UK’s public fleets are getting cleaner every month, it seems, including an electric bus trial, and an electric-vehicle [EV] only car-sharing club. This week’s special announcement includes fifty new EV minicabs, which will soon be roaming the streets of London.
By soon, we mean early 2013, when Green Tomato Cars, which already has a fleet of about 300 minicabs, will take possession of fifty BYD e6 EV minicabs. The BYD e6 is a five-seat crossover with an impressive 75kW motor, excellent for the stop-and-go driving on the crowded streets of London.
Chinese EV manufacturer BYD Auto claims the e6 has a range of 186 miles. Its advanced lithium-ion iron phosphate [LiFePO4] battery pack is expected to last 6,000 cycles. For a London minicab, this is an excellent lifespan, over a million miles.
Mayor London Boris Johnson, expects the vehicles to have a significant impact on the city’s air quality, saying, “Every year the fleet is getting cleaner, making our city an even more attractive place to live, work and visit. Encouraging many more electric vehicles is a key part of this transformation, so it is great news that Green Tomato Cars has committed to operating 50 of these super clean machines from next year.”
