Beijing wants to replace its 70,000 taxis with electric vehicles to fight local air pollution
7 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Beijing, which has one of the most important taxi fleets in the world, becomes the latest municipality to announce plans to convert all its taxis to electric cars.
[QUOTE]All newly added or replaced taxis in the city of Beijing will be converted from gasoline to electricity, according to a draft work program on air pollution control for Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and surrounding areas in 2017.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]
[url]https://electrek.co/2017/02/28/beijing-electric-taxis-air-polution/[/url]
That's amazing! Good job, China!
If anything, this will spur the growth of an infrastructure that's more inclusive to electric vehicles on a national scale and be an excellent study opportunity.
I can't see taxis having the time to stop and charge. If they're anything like taxis here in Australia then they have to be making almost all the time to breakeven. Are taxi licences really cheap in China?
This might kinda help, but it would be super useful if they closed down all the coal plants powering those taxis and already creating most of the pollution.
[QUOTE=download;51892396]I can't see taxis having the time to stop and charge. If they're anything like taxis here in Australia then they have to be making almost all the time to breakeven. Are taxi licences really cheap in China?[/QUOTE]
I imagine if it's only the inner-municipal area which this proposal is considering, that range anxiety won't be much of a problem for several hours, at least. However, yes, it would still a problem, but I imagine that they can kind of work around it by having drivers return depleted cars to the depot for recharging, where they then hop into a freshly charged taxi and off they go back to work. That of course does mean a huge fleet would be required.
[editline]1st March 2017[/editline]
[QUOTE=Drury;51892436]This might kinda help, but it would be super useful if they closed down all the coal plants powering those taxis and already creating most of the pollution.[/QUOTE]
Coal plants are normally located reasonable distances away from cities. Most of the air pollution within cities is from the exhaust gasses of cars. Smog problems in cities like Beijing would be just as bad even if all of the country's coal plants were replaced with renewable sources, as long as everyone in the city is still driving around in petrol or Diesel cars.
That's not to say that those coal plants shouldn't be replaced with renewables. Just that there are two separate issues that need to be addressed.
[QUOTE=BF;51892448]Coal plants are normally located reasonable distances away from cities.[/QUOTE]
Normally, yes.
[img]http://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2015/12/18/030e5d59-45de-45c2-b2e4-31afccd084be/thumbnail/620x350/3a71ca8392ed0c267e533fa7b4920144/chinabeijingsmogskyline.jpg[/img]
That said apparently they have actually already closed down most in Beijing so that's nice. Now for the rest of the country.
I've always thought for cities like New York, in the city I don't think you need gasoline cars with most of the time your in traffic. Electric cars would be perfect
[QUOTE=download;51892396]I can't see taxis having the time to stop and charge. If they're anything like taxis here in Australia then they have to be making almost all the time to breakeven. Are taxi licences really cheap in China?[/QUOTE]
EV taxis aren't a new concept. They work just fine with cities with rapid chargers.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.