Taxi Charging Debate [SPLIT]

goz83

This is only going to cause further congestion on the charger network.

Conditions should dictate that charge points AC/DC are installed at ranks , going to cause ridiculous congestion rendering the network unusable by the public. I'm getting even more happier I got the Rex !

They don't give proper thought to anything in this Country do they ?

A taxi driver pulls up to a charger, there's a car charging, oh wait a minute, he unplugs that and plugs in the other and drives off again !

People are people, we've already see it in Gorey. We've seen the issues of free charging and taxi drivers are people, some will abuse it some won't but either way it means a lot more strain on the already inadequate network.

And I think it's a valid argument to have , the network is beyond inadequate for a surge in use by taxis who stand to save a fortune in fuel alone by the free charging use, this was not thought through at all.

I would love to see all taxis electric but they should have charge points at ranks and depots.

gctest50

They could make the front 2 or 3 spaces at each major taxi rank for EV taxis only and install chargers there

It would encourage more drivers to go EV

Dont be at yourself

Don't understand the calls for FCPs at ranks. Taxis aren't sitting in the one spot at a rank long enough to make it feasible.

Better off having then installed at service stations, where they're more likely to stop to get a coffee etc, or finance a few Fastned-style lots around cities with multiple stalls dedicated to the taxi trade.

ei9go

Probably a case of be careful what you wish for.

In the days before TETRA, the guys has a collective name on the radio for taxi drivers, "the scum"

Casati

Can see a lot more taxi drivers having two Leaf’s - One on charge and one working

ELM327

Casati wrote: »

Can see a lot more taxi drivers having two Leaf’s - One on charge and one working

Like the chap in Gorey, Midway etc?
Yes that's my fear too.

Orebro

Can't see taxi men jumping in EVs if they haven't done so already - the incentives including the free charging have been there for years. It cuts both ways - time is money in the Taxi business, and they're not interesting in sitting waiting for Joe Public to finish charging either.

I've said it before in an older thread and gotten lambasted for it - Taxis should not be allowed access to the free public charging system in its current guise - that wasn't the planned usage for it and certainly isn't in the spirit of it. Taxis need their own infrastructure if its to be scalable in any way.

E.g. there is one (yes ONE!!) Leaf Taxi in my area and it's enough to annoy people with the constant FCP use!!

KCross

Orebro wrote: »

Can't see taxi men jumping in EVs if they haven't done so already - the incentives including the free charging have been there for years. It cuts both ways - time is money in the Taxi business, and they're not interesting in sitting waiting for Joe Public to finish charging either.

Right, but now add another €7k onto that incentive (which is what the budget has given them) and watch them sit up in their seats!!

A 40kWh Leaf would cover a lot of stop/start taxi'ing around the cities! 250km+

Anyone know what a typical taxi driver covers in a day?

I suspect its less than that and since there are taxi drivers managing with 24kWh's today you can be sure the 40kWh will be suitable and an additional €7k grant makes it MORE than affordable.

Orebro

KCross wrote: »

Right, but now add another €7k onto that incentive (which is what the budget has given them) and watch them sit up in their seats!!

Yikes! I missed that one - that is not good news if there isn't going to be infrastructure installed to support it.

cros13

KCross wrote: »

Anyone know what a typical taxi driver covers in a day?

Dublin Taxi drivers.. between 150 and 200km per day.

uphillonly

There could be a positive angle as complaining taxi drivers may receive more publicity than us current EV owners.

Taxi drivers buy the cars, are frustrated by the current status of charging facilities (complete lack of). They make a lot of noise. The issue gets much more publicity than it does at the moment. Government acts because there is a lot of noise.

Any measure that increases the current number of EVs in Ireland is good for all of us. The small numbers on the road must be a deterrent to charge companies from entering the market. The few free ESBs ones have become so unreliable I think most of us would now pay a rival company who had a nice number of fast chargers along major routes even if ESB remained free, which it won't or shouldn't.

unkel

cros13 wrote:

Dublin Taxi drivers.. between 150 and 200km per day.

Is that all? No need to charge then in Ioniq / Leaf 2 / Zoe 41 until the driver gets home. I presume there's no more cosying like there used to be when the plates were expensive?

conor_mc

Orebro wrote: »

Can't see taxi men jumping in EVs if they haven't done so already - the incentives including the free charging have been there for years. It cuts both ways - time is money in the Taxi business, and they're not interesting in sitting waiting for Joe Public to finish charging either.

I've said it before in an older thread and gotten lambasted for it - Taxis should not be allowed access to the free public charging system in its current guise - that wasn't the planned usage for it and certainly isn't in the spirit of it. Taxis need their own infrastructure if its to be scalable in any way.

E.g. there is one (yes ONE!!) Leaf Taxi in my area and it's enough to annoy people with the constant FCP use!!

Surely the point of the incentive, if the govt could be accused of long-term thinking(!!), is to use the taxi business to help elevate EV uptake to a critical mass such that a paid charging model would become commercially viable?

Casati

unkel wrote: »

Is that all? No need to charge then in Ioniq / Leaf 2 / Zoe 41 until the driver gets home. I presume there's no more cosying like there used to be when the plates were expensive?

Taxi drivers dont all live in the city centres that they work out of - I know taxi drivers that have a 120km commute each way.

Honestly we should all be encouraging ev taxi's and of course letting them use whatever chargers are available (and are actually working). Petrol and Diesel pollution is seen as a growing problem in cities - less so in the commuter belts. if we could change the fleet of taxi's in Dublin alone to EV that would surely bring major benefits.

I'd personally like to to see incentives for businesses purchasing EV vans too which also fill the city streets generally with diesel engines. Our government of course decided to put the EV incentive budget into paying the BIK for company exec's driving Tesla's but that's another topic


Charging at a rank doesn't seem feasible as taxi's constantly move the cars forward to get to the top of the rank - ideally they should charge when they are on a break so near to a shop/ toilets - i.e. at existing charging stations

unkel

Casati wrote: »

Taxi drivers dont all live in the city centres that they work out of - I know taxi drivers that have a 120km commute each way.

You're saying you know multiple taxi drivers who commute 240km per day just to work as a low paid taxi driver in Dublin?

We're well out of the recession. People don't need to do desperate things like that any more for work / to make ends meet. It just doesn't make sense what you are claiming.

cros13

unkel wrote: »

You're saying you know multiple taxi drivers who commute 240km per day just to work as a low paid taxi driver in Dublin?

We're well out of the recession. People don't need to do desperate things like that any more for work / to make ends meet. It just doesn't make sense what you are claiming.

It's true, a significant minority of them. I see plenty only licenced for Dublin coming up the M7 at regular times every morning.

Gumbo

unkel wrote: »

You're saying you know multiple taxi drivers who commute 240km per day just to work as a low paid taxi driver in Dublin?

We're well out of the recession. People don't need to do desperate things like that any more for work / to make ends meet. It just doesn't make sense what you are claiming.

I know at least 3 taxi drivers who commute from Meath and Athy and have heard of further distances from others.

When I had my taxi plate I would do about 150-200km per night, but I had it as a back up, I sold it once my job became secure. The biggest problem is the unknown trip, for example, I picked up a fare on Georges Street one night and he says "Citywest Hotel", great fare I thought.

Got there, done my U-turn around the pub and as I was coming back out of the car park a guy hailed me and says "Dame Street"

Great fares, but in an EV it could be close to the limit with the current crop of cars.

Casati

unkel wrote: »

You're saying you know multiple taxi drivers who commute 240km per day just to work as a low paid taxi driver in Dublin?

We're well out of the recession. People don't need to do desperate things like that any more for work / to make ends meet. It just doesn't make sense what you are claiming.

You might be surprised but not everybody is out of recession, people with jobs are being made homeless, do you not read the news?

Two lads I know well driving in Dublin live in Carlow and Edgeworthtown. To them it’s an hour off peak to drive up.

ELM327

Sure that's mad, half your fares are probably paying for the drive up and back