London’s Black Cabs May Go Green

The British love their traditions: the Queen, tea, quaint gardens and the like. One of their most visible traditions, the black London taxi, could be going green.

Britain’s Eco City Vehicles is rolling out an electric version of the Mercedes-Benz Vito taxi and will field-test the car in London later this year. The slick cab, which looks like a pug-nosed minivan, was developed by a consortium that included Penso, Mercedes-Benz UK and Zytec Automotive.

Eco City, which sells and services taxis, says the eVito will comply with the mayor’s proposed clean air standards for taxis. The new regs are set to take effect in time for the London Olympics in 2012.

“The eVito, together with the already popular Vito taxi, provides London with a great opportunity to reduce air pollution with modern vehicles,” Peter DaCosta, chief executive of Eco City, said, according to the Telegraph. “We have taken on board Mayor Boris Johnson’s wish for a cleaner London and I’m confident this will contribute to meeting his goal.”

Londoners have been grabbing rides in the popular Vito since 2008, and the vehicle has proven to be a serious competitor to Manganese Bronze, which builds the city’s traditional black taxis. The Vito has claimed 30 percent of the market since its introduction, according to Reuters. An electric version makes perfect sense and would be just the thing for New York’s Taxi of Tomorrow.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

Posted in: Cabs,London,Mercedes