A Scottish Taxi firm has hit out at Government attempts to convert taxis to electric branding them ‘inefficient' and ‘expensive.'
Chief executive at Paton's Taxiworld, the Specialist provider of taxis for sale and hire, William Paton said, “There is a lot of emphasis on ‘going green', however electric powered cars are just not a feasible idea for cab firms. The Government is right to be looking into fuel alternatives but maybe the future should be in gas rather than electric”.
The Government recently met with the Chinese automaker that co-owns the company that produces black London taxis, about bringing electric-powered cabs to the UK capital. Despite reducing carbon emissions, for the general population, the cabby community is worried that they will be the ones to suffer.
Mayor Boris has already made it clear that his stance is to back the electric powered motors, and as a result, it is estimated that the first rollout of the first ‘green' black cabs is just one year away.
Mr Paton added, “If individuals want to own electric cars it is up to them but if this becomes compulsory, it is firms like ours who provide taxis for sale who will be hit the hardest. I am wondering if this goes through in London how long it will be before the whole of the UK is affected. It is worrying to think that we may all be expected to convert our vehicles to electric.”
Mr Paton added, “The Government are not thinking about it from our perspective, there must be other ways of protecting the environment, but these vehicles are so expensive mainly due to their lithium-ion batteries which have to be replaced every three to four years. We are one of the leading suppliers of used cabs and cabs for sale and we understand more than most that these batteries have to be fully charged, requiring advanced planning. If you are a cabby this is just not possible as they are called out regularly and work long shift patterns.
Most converted cars are not suitable to those who travel for long distances and it is often advised that you plan in advance how far you will be travelling as most electric vehicles have limits on how many miles they can go before they have to be charged back up again.
LPG is the other alternative to this problem as it significantly more environmentally friendly with typical emissions for LPG cars are less than 0.2% CO compared with 2%CO for vehicles running on petrol. ”
Mr Paton added, “At Paton's Taxiworld we are keen to protect the environment and are all for innovative solutions to this problem but what cabbies are seeking is a solution that means they can conduct their businesses effectively.”
Paton's Taxiworld are providers of the UK's widest range of vehicles available for private and public hire, Paton' guarantee to have the vehicle for any taxi need you have, be it a quality vehicle at the most competitive price on the market, or if you looking for something larger and luxurious they also cater to the needs of the Executive Hire Taximan. There is nothing Paton's will not be able to do for you, having built our empire on 50 years in the taxi industry they know how important your time and quality is to you in every part of the industry. As the only official main dealer of L.T.I in Scotland , they promise that every service and repair uses only official L.T.I, Cygnus, or TW220 parts.
Their web site, http://www.taxiworld.co.uk , includes an extensive range of taxis for sale , cab insurance and even offer taxi repairs .