The Tesla as a taxi: what are the experiences six months on?
More sustainable taxi transport
The taxi sector has seen several developments in the field of alternative fuels like LPG, CNG, biofuel and bioethanol. There have also been some exciting developments with hybrid vehicles, hydrogen vehicles and fully electric vehicles. Munckhof follows these developments closely and has expanded its range of sustainable vehicles over the years. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is one of our top priorities and we're always open to exploring new ways of achieving a greener fleet. Electric vehicles, for example, entered the scene in a big way last year.
Electric taxis: good or bad?
Electric vehicles have been around for a while, but were never really suitable for taxi use outside the city centre – until now. Their low range, dependence on charging stations and long charging times made us doubt whether we should add electric vehicles to our range. But with CSR as one of our top priorities, we decided to launch a pilot project to exclusively use fully electric Tesla vehicles for our corporate transport.
New challenges for drivers and operators
Over the past six months, we've discovered that there is an excellent infrastructure of electric charging stations in both the Netherlands and the wider Euregio in which Munckhof operates. Thanks to Tesla's on-board management information and defensive driving sessions, our drivers are challenged to optimize their vehicle's uptime. They closely monitor their vehicle's charging status and use breaks and downtime to top the battery up as necessary. The operators have real-time insight into the status of these vehicles and can advise the drivers on when and where to charge them. They also play an important role in creating smart schedules that take into account the vehicle's range.
Continued investment in green transport
While adding expensive, fully electric vehicles like Teslas to our corporate taxi fleet may seem like an unusual choice, it's an economical solution that is in line with Munckhof's CSR objectives and one that our customers really appreciate. We look back on a very successful trial period and look forward to investing more in our electric taxi transport.
We've received many positive reactions from customers who have experienced our Tesla taxis first-hand. But we'd also love to hear from you. What is your experience with electric taxi transport?
