British Taxi Firm To Transition To An All-Electric Fleet Thanks To VW

The largest private vehicle hire firm in the UK has announced it will transition to a fully electric fleet and do so with the help of Volkswagen.

Addison Lee has announced a £160 million ($219 million) investment in order to become an EV-only taxi firm by 2023. The switch will begin with the company adopting the new ID.4 SUV across its fleet and lead to no less than 20,000 zero-emissions journeys every day in London.

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From November, Addison Lee will begin to add 200 electric vehicles on a monthly basis to its fleet. The company has already 650 zero-emissions taxis in its 4,000-strong vehicle fleet and just a few months ago, agreed to acquire black-taxi service ComCab.

“With the government’s pledge to be a net-zero economy by 2050, COP26 a matter of weeks away and more cars on the road as we start the economic recovery from over a year of lockdown, the need for London’s taxi and private hire industry to recognize its responsibility to London’s environment has never been clearer,” Addison Lee chief executive Liam Griffin said in a statement.

“Key to this is the rapid introduction of zero-emission vehicles. As a business that has proudly been serving the capital for over 45 years and which is part of London’s transport network, Addison Lee has a particular responsibility towards the city’s people and its’ environment.”

Addison Lee has also confirmed it will launch a Future of Mobility fund to support the move to electric vehicles. This will include a £3.5 million (~$4.8 million) investment into charging infrastructure for its drivers.