For those cities in the world that have a tropical climate vehicles need to be able to cope with the heat and humidity.
TUM CREATE has unveiled its electric taxi prototype, codenamed EVA, at the Tokyo Motor Show. TUM CREATE is a joint research program by Technische Universitaet Muenchen and Nanyang Technological University.
A key highlight is the vehicle’s super-fast charging system. It is designed to be recharged in just 15 minutes to cover a realistic range of 200 km (based on Singapore driving patterns), which will be an industry benchmark. “This new electric taxi for tropical mega cities, developed and constructed by two leading universities, highlights the successful collaboration of Technische Universitaet Muenchen and Nanyang Technological University,” said Prof. Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, President of Technische Universitaet Muenchen.
“The challenge of current electric vehicles is the extremely limited range and long recharge times (up to 8 hours), making them impractical as taxis. TUM CREATE aims to address these issues, as well as the unique challenges posed by the heat and humidity in tropical megacities, through its research and development. Unlike temperate climates, passenger cooling and battery pack heat management are issues specific to tropical and equatorial regions. As a form of public transportation, introducing e-taxis into the local taxi fleets has a high leveraging effect to decrease carbon emissions.
While taxis account for less than 3% of the vehicle population in Singapore, they contribute to 15% of the total distance travelled, the average two-shift taxi covers over 500 km a day.”
£40 cleaning bill after mum gives birth in cab
/in Taxi NewsA Redcar mum gives birth in cab then receives bill to clean the vehicle. Two days after the incident the cab driver turned up at their family home and presented them with the cleaning bill of £40.
The woman went into labour in the early hours so her partner called a cab to take her to hospital.
The 22 year old mum said: “My partner told them it was maternity and when the driver came he had plastic sheeting on the front seat and said it was fine to sit there.
“By the time we got to hospital the baby was coming and five midwives dashed out and I had to deliver him in the cab.” But two days later the cab driver turned up at the couple’s home and presented them with a £40 cleaning bill.
The mum-of-three said: “I was mortified. He knew I was going to maternity and had put sheets on the front seat. “We’re on benefits and £40 is a lot of money.”
The driver who is responsible for cleaning his own cab as part of his contract with the taxi firm said: “Someone’s got to pay for it. I don’t think I’m being nasty.”
Owners of the firm said the driver had the right to pass on his bill to the family in accordance with a council bylaw.
Football players forced to take Minicab to QPR
/in Minibus News, Taxi NewsBrighton and Hove Albion players were forced to take a minicab to Loftus Road for their game with QPR after their coach broke down en route to West London. Goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak took to Facebook to share a picture of himself and teammates squeezed into a private hire vehicle as they travelled Queens Park Rangers. “On the way to the game, our coach broke down and we had to take a taxi to the stadium!” Kuszczak wrote.
“That doesn’t happen every day, but it didn’t affect our solid draw!”
TaxiCabNews
Milton Keynes Taxis fail test
/in Taxi NewsA staggering 17 out of 19 taxis in Milton Keynes failed an MOT after an operation by Thames Valley Police. As part of Operation Troll, police, along with taxi licensing officers and fraud benefit officers, targeted all taxis in the city which had damage or defects with their vehicle, and escorted those to the council depot where they were tested by trained mechanics. A total of 19 taxis were taken for tests, but only one passed without advisories, with 17 of them failing and needing retesting.
The London look for Toyota’s cab of the future
/in Taxi NewsIt’s tall, black as Newgate’s Knocker and can probably turn on half a yen in the middle of a rush-hour snarl-up in Nagoya. What are we talking about you may ask. It’s Toyota’s vision for a new generation of Japanese taxis. In terms of basic appearance the taxi looks like something that might be flagged down in Shoreditch rather than Shinjuku. The new JPN Taxi Concept was the first off the rank at the Tokyo motor show on 20th November, where it made its debut appearance. Although there’s no “for hire” sign yet shining on the blue display panel above the windscreen, it’s been conceived by Toyota in line with the Japanese government’s programme for designing buses and taxis that are more user-friendly.
The vehicle’s proportions and packaging have been tailored to give it the manoeuvrability that’s essential in urban traffic, and to make access easy for passengers, especially children and older people, with a high cabin, low floor and electric sliding door. It also comes with a new powertrain, an LPG hybrid system that offers better environmental performance around town. The cab seats five and is equipped with a large interior monitor showing passenger information including the route to the destination and the fare.
Eros on Piccadilly Circus turned into a Snow Globe
/in General News, Minibus NewsBy now you will have seen the snow globe that surrounds Eros on Piccadilly Circus. You may not have given it much thought, but it was quite a challenge to design and build. The City of Westminster Council approached Wildstone and Architen Landrell with the challenge. Eros has a long history of being a target for spirited personal attention in the lead up to New Year’s Eve. As a way to protect the aluminium sculpture and get everyone in the West End ready for Christmas, the idea was to have Eros in the centre of a larger than life Snow Globe. Architen Landrell was awarded the contract to design, manufacture, test, and install the ‘World’s Largest Snow Globe over Eros. ’ The Snow Globe will remain in place until 4 January. It will then be packed up and stored until it is reassembled again next year. With its prominent position, the octagon base of the Snow Globe houses eight of some of Europe’s highest resolution LED video screens. As a Snow Globe of this scale has never been attempted before, the designers installed it, minus Eros of course in their car park and their Site Operatives worked around the clock to meet the completion date of 17 November. The lights, video and snow went live on 18 November at 18:00. A 30 ton crane was needed for the final installation; the globe is made of 685 m2 of clear PVC fabric, weighing a half ton, kept inflated by fans running to keep the globe pressurised at all times; 8 snow blowing machines are strategically installed around the inside of the base. The base itself is 12 metres across, 4 metres high, made of steel & filled with ballast – weighing 21 tons, with the globe having a 15 metre diameter and 19 metres height.
TaxiCabNews
Silver Blanket that could save your life
/in Minibus News, Motor Trade NewsSo far, we have not seen any of the dreaded white stuff falling from the sky but the chances are there will be some this winter. Road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is offering this advice to all drivers – add a ‘Silver Blanket’ to your ‘Winter Driving Kit’. “An emergency foil blanket is a simple item, takes very little space and is cheap and easy to find on the internet. But it could create a difference between a life or death situation, if trapped in your vehicle due to severe weather,” said David Williams, MBE and CEO of GEM. “Whilst we recommend people do not drive in snowy conditions unless absolutely essential, if you do have to drive, make sure you are prepared. In the first instance carry out regular checks on your vehicle to reduce the risk of breakdown,” advises David Williams. “But breakdowns are not the only concern. Snow can suddenly prevent you from continuing on your journey, and every year we read about hordes of motorists stranded on the road – often miles from civilisation. A foil blanket would be a very welcome item to have in your glove box in such a situation,” David Williams said.
Nissan suspends its London taxi programme
/in Taxi NewsOn 21st November came the surprise announcement from Nissan that it has suspended its London Taxi Project pending the outcome of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone consultation. It was being eagerly awaited by many in the taxi trade, following a launch event earlier this year, when Nissan said that this meant the taxi would have “exceptionally low CO2 emissions that start from 139g/km (89hp engine) – a figure that comfortably undercuts existing London Taxi offerings. Versions fitted with the 89hp engine feature a five-speed manual transmission, while 110hp variants benefit from a six-speed unit.
Both powerplants are fully compliant with the latest EuroV emissions regulations.
Earlier this year, when Nissan announced the new taxi at the O2 Arena, it said that by 2015 the taxi would also be available with a clean, zero-emission electric motor. Nissan said its key goal was to have its electric version on sale “before any other manufacturer”. The NV200 Taxi was successfully launched in New York City recently and will be soon introduced in Tokyo and other cities in Asia. Last month the electric e-NV200 Taxi started commercial operations in Barcelona and it is expected that it will be soon introduced in other European cities.
James Wright, Managing Director, Nissan Motor GB said: “Nissan is a strong supporter of air quality and CO2 reduction measures and is encouraged to see the recent consultation launched by the Mayor’s office. However, if this were to be implemented then our planned petrol taxi, designed to meet the challenging
London taxi standards, would not meet the requirements from this date and it would be obsolete just a few years following its introduction. As such, we have decided to suspend our current taxi project until the regulation of the market has been decided.” He added: “Nissan will continue to work with Transport for London and the Mayor’s office to use our expertise and support the Capital’s transportation future.”
Tropicalized electric Taxi unveiled
/in Minibus News, Motor Trade NewsFor those cities in the world that have a tropical climate vehicles need to be able to cope with the heat and humidity.
TUM CREATE has unveiled its electric taxi prototype, codenamed EVA, at the Tokyo Motor Show. TUM CREATE is a joint research program by Technische Universitaet Muenchen and Nanyang Technological University.
A key highlight is the vehicle’s super-fast charging system. It is designed to be recharged in just 15 minutes to cover a realistic range of 200 km (based on Singapore driving patterns), which will be an industry benchmark. “This new electric taxi for tropical mega cities, developed and constructed by two leading universities, highlights the successful collaboration of Technische Universitaet Muenchen and Nanyang Technological University,” said Prof. Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, President of Technische Universitaet Muenchen.
“The challenge of current electric vehicles is the extremely limited range and long recharge times (up to 8 hours), making them impractical as taxis. TUM CREATE aims to address these issues, as well as the unique challenges posed by the heat and humidity in tropical megacities, through its research and development. Unlike temperate climates, passenger cooling and battery pack heat management are issues specific to tropical and equatorial regions. As a form of public transportation, introducing e-taxis into the local taxi fleets has a high leveraging effect to decrease carbon emissions.
While taxis account for less than 3% of the vehicle population in Singapore, they contribute to 15% of the total distance travelled, the average two-shift taxi covers over 500 km a day.”
Norwegian Wood arrives at Trafalgar Square
/in General News, Minibus News, Motor Trade NewsA 50-year-old Norwegian Spruce has made its way to London from Norway to stand ion Trafalgar Square once again this year.
Each year Oslo donates a tree to the people of London as a mark of thanks for their support during the Second World War. The first was sent to Britain in 1946.
This year’s tree, a 50-metre specimen, known as the Queen of the Forest, was felled by the Mayor of Oslo Fabian Stang, alongside Westminster’s Lord Mayor, Sarah Richardson. The tree made a 700-mile journey by lorry and boat to arrive in London on December 2.
TaxiCabNews
New agency to replace DSA & VOSA
/in Minibus NewsA new agency with responsibility for maintaining vehicle standards is being launched as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. It will replace the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) with responsibilities for setting, testing and enforcing driver and vehicle standards in Great Britain.
There will be a gradual introduction of the new agency name ahead of the formal launch in April 2014, with no change to the level or quality of services during the transition period. The function of DSA has been to improve road safety in Great Britain by setting standards for driving and motorcycling, and for the education and training of drivers and riders.
The agency also carries out driving and riding tests. VOSA provides a range of licensing, testing and enforcement services with the aim of improving the roadworthiness standards of vehicles, ensuring the compliance of operators and drivers with road traffic legislation, and supporting the independent Traffic Commissioners. The new Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will have a broad range of responsibilities, including processing applications for licences to operate lorries and buses, operating testing schemes for all vehicles, and enforcing the law on vehicles to ensure that they comply with legal standards and regulations.
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