Coventry-built electric taxi to be rolled out UK-wide
An innovative electric taxi manufactured in Coventry is to be rolled out across the UK following its official launch.
The all-electric Dynamo taxi has been created by Dynamo Motor Company – a division of ADV Manufacturing – in conjunction with Nissan and is nothing to do with the vehicle being produced by LTC at its new £300m factory in Ansty Park.
The Dynamo taxi made its public debut at the Private Hire & Taxi Exhibition at the MK Arena in Milton Keynes.
The vehicle has been developed to be used in UK towns and cities looking to reduce their emissions levels.
Within Dynamo’s vehicle line-up is a fully working London taxi demonstrator, that, pending approvals, will comply with Transport for London’s stringent operating requirements as well as exceeding new zero emission legislation coming into force in January.
The five-seat Dynamo electric taxi, with full side wheelchair access, will have a range of 100 miles between charging and can be re-charged in just 30 minutes when using a Rapid Charge Post.
Brendan O’Toole, chairman at Dynamo and former managing director of CPP, said the vehicle represented an exciting development in the move towards all-electric powertrains.
“We’re at the start of the biggest change in the motoring world since the era of Henry Ford because most of us will be driving electric vehicles in the future,” he said.
“This is a pioneering new chapter in motoring and, if anything, driver selection of electric cars will continue to accelerate since they provide zero emissions for the environment which is important as we all continue to learn more about the damage to our health from pollution.”
He said the firm had spent several years developing the Dynamo taxi, and believed it would play a leading role as regards electric vehicle adoption.
“By 2018, all new taxis bought in London must be zero emission capable and with more and more charging posts being installed throughout the country, I think within a short space of time drivers of electric vehicles will no longer need to make detailed plans for longer journeys because the UK’s major cities and towns will be connected by charging hubs,” he said.
ADV Manufacturing currently supplies complex body and trim assemblies to the world’s leading automotive brands Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, Bentley and McLaren.
The company plans to start selling the regional Dynamo taxi vehicle in the summer and is hoping the London version will be on sale in the autumn.
The concept emerged when ADV worked in partnership with Nissan to develop a petrol-driven London taxi, and in doing so quickly discovered the demand for such a vehicle did not really exist and that an all-electric, 100% emission free taxi would be the preferred choice of many operators.
“We’re a year ahead of where we thought we would be with our plans for the Dynamo taxi which was absolutely necessary due to the speed in which the sector is changing,” added Mr O’Toole.
“The vehicle must tick all the boxes and Dynamo does just that, it’s a smart taxi for smart drivers operating in smart cities. We are looking forward to starting production in our plant in Coventry very soon.”
