Nissan’s New London Taxi Cab Could Be Electric TooNissan’s New London Taxi Cab Could Be Electric Too

They’re as well-known as The Houses of Parliament or Harrods luxury department store, but soon London’s iconic black taxi cabs could be getting an all-electric makeover courtesy of an electric taxi being tested by Nissan. 
The news was announced at the London launch of the NV200 taxi cab, a diesel-powered variant of the gasoline NV200 taxi cab that helped Nissan win a $1 billion, ten-year exclusive contract to become the official supplier of New York Taxi Cabs from 2013.
Nissan says its diesel-powered NV200 black Hackney carriage will receive official London Taxi certification later this year, followed next year by the introduction of an all-electric e-NV200 taxi test fleet.
Although we’ve yet to see the all-electric taxi, we have seen the e-NV200 van prototype which Nissan unveiled at the 2012 Detroit auto show and on which the e-NV200 taxi will be based.
Due to enter production in Spain next year, the e-NV200 van is powered by the same 80 kilowatt motor and 24-kilowatt-hour battery pack found in the 2012 Nissan Leaf. 
Consequentially, it also shares the Leaf’s capability to charge its battery pack to 80 percent full in under 30 minutes using a suitable 50-kilowatt, direct current fast charger.
Nissan’s electric-powered e-NV200 concept.
At its unveiling earlier this year, Nissan’s corporate vice-president Hideto Murakami promised the e-NV200 prototype “would energize the current compact van market in more ways than one.” 
With ever-stringent emissions requirements requiring all but the greenest of vehicles pay a daily congestion charge when driving in London, an all-electric e-NV200 taxi has the potential to be an instant hit. 
“Improving air quality in London is one of the most important challenges I face as Mayor,” said Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. “I am absolutely delighted that manufacturers are stepping up to the plate and are responding to the challenge I set in my air quality strategy to reduce taxi emissions and improve efficiency.”
However, as Nissan warns, the success of a potential electric taxi fleet is heavily dependent on the infrastructure that cities put in place to support it. 
Nissan NV200 Taxi
For Taxis that can be in use 24 hours a day with multiple drivers, that means the installation of direct current fast charging stations at strategic points throughout a city.
“Discussions with all the stakeholders will continue to try and make an e-NV200 a realistic proposition by increasing investment in charging infrastructure,” Nissan promised. 
We only have one question: will Nissan’s all-electric taxi cab move from test phase to production? 
Let us know your predictions in the Comments below. 
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