Mexico's first electric taxis

Mexico's capital has taken delivery of the country's first all-electric taxi cabs under an agreement to promote eco-friendly vehicle use between Japan-headquartered Nissan Motor and the local government.
May 1, 2012 Read time: 1 min
UniCredit Mexico's capital has taken delivery of the country's first all-electric taxi cabs under an agreement to promote eco-friendly vehicle use between Japan-headquartered 2454 Nissan Motor and the local government.The government of Mexico City intends to provide incentives such as excluding electric vehicles from the emissions verification programme, waiving yearly car registration, permitting them to travel in special lanes and offering preferential parking spots in a bid to encourage usage of electric vehicles. By the end of this year, the programme plans to deploy 100 new electric vehicles and a second quick-charge station.Marcelo Ebrard, Mayor of Mexico City, together with Nissan and US-based 3500 General Electric, the supplier of the quick-charge equipment, launched the first three taxis into operational service last week. Increased use of electric vehicles in the city will certainly help reduce the eye-wateringly high smog levels. However whether battery powered vehicles will appeal to more than a handful of Mexico City's notoriously pedal-to-the-metal cab drivers remains to be seen.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New advances in electric motors
    December 17, 2012
    New advances in electric motor development could lead to more efficient electric vehicles being developed. Japan’s Tohoku University has been working on switched reluctance motors that feature an axial gap design and do not require permanent magnets. These can deliver the same torque as motors featuring permanent magnets however, a key point as the cost of the rare earths needed in permanent magnets has increased. Meanwhile Nissan said that sales of its Leaf model are now growing, with 46,000 having been bo
    Read More
  • Electromobility in the off-highway industry
    September 14, 2020
    Electrification brings many benefits to off-road machines including zero exhaust emissions, improved efficiency and significantly reduced noise levels, so why aren’t we seeing more of them yet? Zeyd Okutan, Volvo Penta’s product manager responsible for the company’s Industrial Segment Electromobility Product Planning and Strategy, explains what direction the industry is heading in and what needs to happen before electric-powered machines become the norm
    Read More
  • Are friends electric? – the drives
    October 3, 2018
    Advances in drive technology are being seen from several key firms as new generation, compact electric systems begin entering the market - Mike Woof writes Major innovations in machine systems are being seen in the construction equipment sector. Several manufacturers are hedging their bets with regard to drive technology and introducing electric drive machines, which will suit use in urban ultra-low emission zones. Wacker Neuson has developed an array of electric machines in recent years including a numbe
    Read More
  • Electric vehicle charging market expands
    July 27, 2012
    New analysis from Frost & Sullivan says that the electric vehicle (EV) charging station market in North America has grown immensely, helped along by favourable government level (federal, state and municipal) incentives and subsidies for the purchase of EVs. The government is extending these plans to the installation of charging station and funding programmes such as ECOtality's EV project, which is trying to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure in six major states.
    Read More

Highlighted Content