Cost proves barrier for Coventry electric taxi uptake

Coventry has 26 electric taxis currently plying their trade in the city, council figures reveal

A city has more electric vehicle charging points than electric taxis despite a campaign to get taxi drivers to switch, a council report says.

Twenty-six cab drivers bought electric vehicles in Coventry between 2018 and 2020 after a £1.2m investment saw 39 charging points installed.

The city council is aiming by 2024 to only renew taxi licenses for zero emissions vehicles.

"Cost is a barrier" to switching, the authority admitted.

The 26 vehicles make up about 3% of the number of hackney carriages licensed by the authority.

The council ran a "try before you buy" programme over the two years from 2018 which offered financial incentives to drivers to buy electric taxis.

However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said councillors heard the switch was too costly for drivers.

Councillor John Mutton said the price was "prohibitive" for drivers he had spoken to, and the government should "put their money where their mouth is" with more grants.

A £7,500 "plug-in" grant is available from the government for cab drivers who buy specific models, such as from the London Electric Vehicle Company.

But it can cost more than £40,000 to buy new and only slightly less second-hand, the LDRS said.

The council's transportation director Colin Knight said he took Mr Mutton's comments on board.

Mr Knight said there was an expectation that as the second-hand market grew, more used vehicles would be available at lower prices.