The taxi industry and the government in Hong Kong introduced BYD electric taxis for trials in the early years, but they all failed. Most of the electric taxis were recycled or converted into private cars after completing the trial project.
This year, the “new energy war” has started again in the taxi industry. In addition to Nissan’s launch of taxis that use gasoline to charge the battery and then drive the engine, the mainland electric vehicle brand BYD has also made a comeback and introduced a new generation of all-electric taxis.
A BYD agent said that the charging time of the new generation of electric taxis is nearly half faster than that of the previous generation, and it only takes about an hour to be "sufficiency of electricity";
A car dealership plans to order hundreds of Nissan gasoline taxis and more than 20 BYD electric taxis: "The cars are beautiful and energetic, and I hope to attract young people to take taxis."
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BYD launched electric taxis in Hong Kong in 2013, but it disappeared completely in 2019.
VESL, the Hong Kong agent of BYD Commercial Vehicles, introduced BYD's new electric vehicles this year as a new generation of electric taxis.
The reporter of "Hong Kong 01" directly attacked the taxi earlier, the design of the compartment is quite wide, even if a man over 1.8 meters tall sits in, there is still more than a palm distance from the front seat.
In addition, the rear space is also very wide, and there is more than enough space for four large luggage and one small luggage.
The interior space of the car is better than that of Toyota's "Japanese taxis" that are widely used today.
Zhong Weiming, general manager of VESL, said that the automaker has reviewed the reasons for the failure of the previous generation of electric taxis, and believes that the development of battery technology was not mature at that time, and the battery decay was faster than expected: "In the operating environment of Hong Kong, taxis are used very densely and extensively. , the battery degrades so quickly that it can’t keep up with the taxi operation.” He pointed out that the charging time of the old model was as long as two hours. It's a big loss to the driver, compared to five minutes into the gas or the oil."
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The battery life of the new generation of BYD Electric has been increased to 520 kilometers
As for the new generation of electric taxis, it is also very different from the previous generation in terms of overall design and battery.
Zhong Weiming pointed out that the new model adopts the "blade battery" independently developed by BYD, and the battery life is increased to 520 kilometers, an increase of 73% compared with the old model's 300 kilometers.
He emphasized that the charging time of the new model is greatly reduced, and it only takes about an hour to go from 0% without power to fully charged, and generally, the taxis will not travel 500 kilometers per shift: "There is enough cruising distance to complete a shift, and there is a net for a short trip. more than enough.”
In terms of charging system, the old model can only use BYD's proprietary system. Zhong described it as "difficult to communicate with other systems." The new E6 adopts European standard charging, which can be used for DC fast charging and medium-speed charging.
He also described the overall design as "renovated and reinvented for the whole car", including the steering wheel, steering system, and the addition of a lot of electronic equipment such as touchscreens near the driver's seat.
Acting for the Wanggang Government to provide electric taxi charging subsidies to increase incentives
As for the charging facilities, Zhong Weiming pointed out that since the free charging spots are very popular at present, and there are long queues for electric private cars, he asked the government to "reduce its strength" and propose to launch the charging position reservation service in the government car parks to solve the problem of queuing for charging. The problem of time-consuming: "Taxis are in a hurry, and they also require charging at the designated time, which (free charging in line) can't be done."
He also believes that there are subsidies for the entry of LPG in taxis, but there is no subsidy for charging electric taxis: "Like private cars, if you want to promote the popularization of electric taxis, you may have to charge taxis free of charge for the first three years. Subsidies will be made in three years.” Zhong pointed out that several new BYD electric taxis are currently running, but for the time being, only a small number of reservations are available, but he emphasized: “The future of electric vehicles will also help Hong Kong reduce emissions. "
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Nissan NOTE taxis are mainly fuel-efficient and have a narrow rear seat
In addition, Nissan, a car manufacturer, launched a new NOTE e-POWER taxi to attack the Hong Kong market. The car uses gasoline as fuel, but it is different from ordinary gasoline cars. The car uses gasoline to charge the battery and uses the battery to drive the engine. Ordinary private cars save 40% fuel.
The reporter actually tried the taxi and found that the back seat is relatively narrow. A reporter who is about 1.5 meters tall has only one palm space to sit in, while a man who is nearly 1.8 meters is "good".
The taxi is quite quiet when driving, and in hot weather with a temperature of over 30 degrees, the rear seat can also feel the cool air-conditioning.
Nissan Serena barrier-free taxis put into operation at the end of last month
Nissan also launched the hybrid Serena e-POWER barrier-free taxi, which entered service in late August.
The taxi is billed as "the most luxurious five-seat taxi in Hong Kong's history", and uses gasoline and electricity, which emits less exhaust gas than ordinary taxis.
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Zhou Guoqiang, the person in charge of the car dealership: the customers who have brought in some new cars feel that the taxis are getting tighter.
The taxi dealer "Shun On Motors" purchased Nissan NOTE e-POWER gasoline taxis earlier, and two of them have been in operation since mid-August.
Zhou Guoqiang, the person in charge of the car dealership, said that the price of this type of taxi is one-third cheaper than that of LPG taxis. He pointed out that there are currently more than 100 gas stations in Hong Kong, but there are only more than 20 dedicated LPG stations, and each LPG taxi needs at least one more. Spend 30 to 40 minutes queuing for gas, and if you switch to gasoline taxis, you can save at least half an hour of waiting time: "Taxis are expensive, and drivers have the opportunity to fly more flags, hoping to get more money."
Zhou Guoqiang said that his car dealership plans to buy hundreds of Nissan gasoline taxis, and has ordered more than 20 new electric taxis from BYD, which are expected to be able to run on the ground this year.
He explained that the taxi industry has been criticized for having only a single model, hoping to "introduce new cars and wait for customers to feel that the taxis are getting tighter".
He also pointed out: "The car is handsome and energetic." He hopes to attract young people to drive taxis and change the impression that taxi drivers are not too old.
EPD: Research into subsidy for electric taxi charging fees
The EPD replied that the New Energy Transport Fund approved two applications involving four new electric taxis at the beginning of this year, of which one electric taxi started operation on September 1.
In order to further promote the electrification of taxis, the authorities are actively encouraging auto suppliers to introduce more electric taxi models suitable for use in Hong Kong, and have begun to prepare for the establishment of a fast charging network. subsidies, etc.
The EPD also pointed out that about 1,200 medium-speed charging facilities have been built in various government car parks. The government will explore the establishment of a smart system for reserving charging parking spaces in relevant facilities, as well as the charging procedures for entering charging parking spaces.
New luxury taxis arrive in Hong Kong Xingqun Taxi introduces Nissan 5-seat hybrid vehicles Wheelchairs can directly get on and off 4 electric taxis This year, the participating car dealers are expected to purchase BYD for the trial. 1,013 taxi service complaints were received in the first quarter The two drivers refused to carry a fine of 600 and 1200 yuan. The Hong Kong government advocated increasing the number of taxis to 6 seats and licensing. 3 months suspension
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