Electric Taxi Company Sherbet launch trial in Sheffield

Posted by Andi
Category:

Sheffield City Council is launching a trial programme to allow local taxi drivers to try out an electric taxi. For two weeks, eight hybrid-electric black taxis will be available. All of the electric taxis are wheelchair accessible and aim to give drivers a hands-on experience of an electric taxi while being cleaner, greener and saving on the cost of diesel.

Sherbet, the Electric Taxi Company, has been appointed by Sheffield City Council to manage the Electric Taxi Trial for Sheffield City Council licensed Taxi Drivers. Sherbet are experts in this area and are the fastest-growing Electric Taxi company in London. 

Electric Taxi

Councillor Terry Fox, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “There are big benefits to our drivers in switching to electric, reduced maintenance costs – refuelling is cheaper, and it is better for the environment. This electric taxi trial will really help drivers to decide on the best choice for their business. Electric taxis will complement other measures across the city to clean up the air and reduce carbon emissions from a vital and important part of Sheffield’s transport systems.”

Sherbet founder Asher Moses said: “We want to make it easy for Sheffield taxi drivers to switch from diesel to electric. Sherbet is set to now take the iconic London taxi to another level, continue to integrate with smart cities such as Sheffield and embrace the demand for clean, green, sustainable, and safe transport.”

This 2-week trial is available for drivers licensed in Sheffield who currently hold a Hackney Vehicle license. The trial costs £50 and you will need to put down a £250 refundable deposit.

Benefits of Electric Taxis

In order to reach the government’s target of net zero emissions by 2050, significant changes are going to be needed. Some of these are underway such as switching to more renewable energy sources and the growth of electric vehicles. Some data suggests electric cars could produce at least 60% fewer emissions than most new petrol cars during the vehicle’s life cycle.

As well as the obvious benefits to the environment, an electric taxi also offer significant fuel savings to the drivers. It is estimated that driving an electric taxi will save the driver £110 a week, £6,965 a year and £34,824 over 5 years! 

Sheffield City Council has recently installed 10 taxi-only rapid charging points. These will recharge the taxis to 80% in 45 minutes at an average cost of around £7. The charging points are located in places convenient for taxi drivers. If the trial proves successful, taxis could be charged at home when they are not being used on a slower but cheaper charger which costs only around £3 on average for a full charge.

Electric taxis also have lower maintenance costs as they only need to be serviced at 25,000-mile intervals compared to the usual 10,000-mile intervals. 

Leave a Reply