Ethical and Green

If you were to ask your average UK citizen which word they associate with black most would say cab.  There are around 20,000 licensed black cabs on London roads with the first engine powered cab being introduced on 1903.  However, the black cab is set to have a makeover and become green by 2009.  Fear not though- this is not a physical colour change, more a change in environmental credentials.

The traditional black cab is made by Manganese Bronze who are teaming up with the specialist electric car designers Tanfield.  Black cabs already have good green credentials such as lasting 20 years and having a higher mileage rate of diesel engines compared to petrol.  However, by introducing an electric version (and therefore zero emissions) of the TX4 their carbon footprint will be drastically cut.

The new green cab will be able to run for at least 100 miles on one charge.  It is estimated by the Licenced Taxi Drivers Association that the average cabbie runs up around 120 and 150 miles a day.  So the electric car may just last a whole day.  How easy it will be to re-charge the cab is still to be seen.  According to the makers the battery takes six hours to charge from flat with a fast charge of 25% in one hour.  Better not forget to plug the cab in at night then……..

It’s not just the environment who will benefit from the introduction of the new cabs.  By running on electricity the cab will have running costs of just 4p per mile compared to 9.3p on diesel.  The downside is that the new car will cost more than the standard version which currently stands at around £37000.

If the launch is successful Manganese Bronze have plans to try the same in China through a joint venture with Shanghai LTI.  So there we have it.  Another company going green and helping reduce CO2 emissions in London.