The benefits of electric vehicles in the taxi sector

We chat with Barcelona’s first “electric taxi driver”

At Circontrol, as pioneers in EV charging solutions, we are proud to collaborate with other pioneers and enthusiasts of electric mobility. In this case, we received the visit at our headquarters in Viladecavalls (Barcelona) of Carles Casanovas, the first “electric” taxi driver of Barcelona. Joan Hinojo, General Director of Circontrol, handed him one of our domestic chargers, the eHome, that will allow him to set up a new charging point.

Carles Casanovas was the first taxi driver in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) to switch to an electric vehicle. Since 2014, he has already driven over 800,000 km 100% electric, with two different vehicles. Taking advantage of his visit, we had a little chat with him, where he explained his commitment to eMobility and his professional vision as a taxi driver of the benefits that this technology brings to his daily work.

We let here the conversation:

Q: Since when do you have an electric vehicle and what made you decide on this technology?

A: In 2013, in the AMB, there was still no electric vehicle approved for taxi services. At that time, Nissan began manufacturing the 100% electric NV200 van in Barcelona, within a triangular project to create a taxi for New York, London, and Barcelona. When they presented and approved the new vehicle, I knew I wanted one. I immediately saw that it was profitable and that it would be the future of taxi.

Q: Has time proven you right?

A: Absolutely! At first, I was the only taxi driver betting on electric mobility, now we are already 400, just in the AMB!

Q: In this sense, what advantages does the electric vehicle present in the taxi sector?

A: In general, the taxi driver does not decide based on emotional or environmental reasons. He does so based on purely economic reasons. This is where the electric vehicle presents its greatest advantage.

Regardless of the investment, EV pay off more quickly. Additionally, they have much more economical and faster maintenance than combustion vehicles, as well as a longer useful life. In fact, the AMB requires renewing vehicles used for taxi services every 10 years but allows extending electric ones up to 14, showing that they are very reliable vehicles.

Q: Regarding autonomy, how many times do you need to charge per day and where do you mainly charge?

A: My current vehicle allows me an autonomy of between 430 and 440 km, and my daily average, if there is no extraordinary trip, is between 300 and 350 km. Therefore, I do not need to charge during my workday. I exclusively do it at home during the night.

In my case, I live in an apartment with communal parking, where I have my charging station. To make it more profitable, I have a cheaper electricity tariff during nighttime hours.

Q: Has driving an electric car meant having to give up any service?

A: I have never had to give up any trip. A very typical comment among taxi drivers who do not drive electric is: “and if you get asked for a service to Madrid, what do you do?” (more than 600 km from Barcelona). I can say that in more than 30 years of profession, I have never been asked for this service!

I can understand that some colleagues who are not used to this type of vehicle have some doubts. Especially because you have to get used to working with short autonomy ranges at the end of the day. In my case, considering that my first electric taxi had a range of 100 km, with present vehicles, I have no doubts.

I guess the main obstacle for some taxi drivers is the charging because not everyone has a private space where they can install the charger and charge their vehicle overnight.

Q: How do you rate the charging infrastructure available for taxis in Barcelona?

A: We had some small problems initially because to incentivize electric mobility, the charging points were free and always occupied. Right now, going back to payment, the current infrastructure is enough, considering the number of electric taxis. We cannot forget that out of the 10,500 taxis in the AMB, for now, only 400 are electric.

At Circontrol, we will continue collaborating to incentivize electric mobility worldwide. We are especially proud to be an important player in the expansion of electric mobility in the Barcelona area where our headquarters are located, as well as 100% of our manufacturing. In fact, the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona has already more than 1,000 charging points from Circontrol (You can read the news here).