LONDON TAXI
Voila!
Volkswagen is seriously looking in building an all-electric taxi for big cities around the world.
- Is this the next-generation London Taxi?
Yes, if you ask the Germans. You see, this is what Volkswagen did.
It carefully studied the original London Taxi, and now it has applied its strong points to a concept car it thinks would be most suited for inner-city use in the following decade.
VW thinks the conception is not entirely suited for big cities like London but too New York, Milan and Hong Kong where it did feasibility studies to find the conduct and attitude of cabbie drivers and passengers.
- Isn't it a little too low in size?
You could say so, especially when you think that London Taxi concept is based on a stretched version of VW's upcoming Up! A-segment car. It measures 3.73m in length, roughly the size of an Ecocar in Thailand and somewhat shorter than a Honda Jazz.
According to VW research, most taxis commute around town usually with only one or two passengers at the most on one journey. There's no front passenger seat, so as to give way for luggage area. Alternatively, however, VW says it can fit a foldable seat if required.
Behind the back seats is about place for handbags where you could also dump standing suitcases.
VW concept is somewhat shorter than Honda Jazz in overall length.
- Sounds better than a Toyota Altis
Well, the super-ubiquitous Corolla taxi in Thailand may be bigger (C-segment) than VW's London Taxi, but the Toyota's boot is rendered almost useless by the miserly fitment of the natural gas tank.
That's why you see people coming out from airports, flagging down taxis and loss to their hotels with suitcases jutting out of the car's boot.
More importantly, though, is that VW's taxi of the hereafter is intended more for inner-city use, as mentioned earlier. So, the concept's size seems to be perfect.
- Yes indeed. Will it actually be zero emissions?
Yes indeed, that is, no tail pipe emissions. Power for the VW London Taxi comes from an 85kW (some 116hp) electric system backed by lithium-ion battery that can run to a top speed of 120kph - usually the legal limit in most countries.
Drivers could get for around 300km on a good charge. That's rather a lot when you compare with other EVs that normally go for just 160km.
That is made possible by a big electric power pack. VW says the concept weighs "just" 1,500kg. That's more than 500 kilos more than what a Nissan March weighs.
No performance figures or charging times were disclosed by VW.
Access to lift is via sliding doors.
- It still sounds cool, though
Yes, because low-speed ability is of more importance; don't leave that electric vehicles have an impressive number of torque at drive-off point.
But it must be looked farther than simply what it can do on the move. The interior, for another, looks spartan but has essential info display for the vehicle, driving conditions and a system enabling passengers to pay taxi fare with credit cards.
- It sounds perfect for Bangkok
Yes, and likewise for other cities. Overall, the highlights make good sense: compact for tight road space, functional interior for most (it can also accommodate wheelchair) and CO2-less engine.
But Bangkok still lacks an electrical grid. However, if recent news that "EVs will be happening in Thailand earlier than expected" turn out to be correct, the German translation of London Taxi could try a practicable option for this metropolis of more than 10 million people.
Interior is spartan but has essential info display.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment