Nottingham becomes home to ground breaking demonstration of wireless charging of electric taxis.
Five wireless charging pads are being installed at the Trent Street rank and nine council owned electric taxis fitted with wireless charging hardware in the UK’s first trial of wireless charging technology of its kind.
Wireless charging enabled vehicles will soon be available for loan on a free trial to licenced taxi drivers to experience the technology first-hand. The council and its project partners will closely monitor the trial and feedback learning to Government to help shape future regulations and delivery of wireless charging projects.
The council secured £930,000 from the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK for the WiCET project. This is a UK first involving both London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) and Nissan Dynamo electric taxis, placing Nottingham at the forefront of green technology innovation.
Wireless charging technology has many benefits that we hope to demonstrate throughout the trial. These include:
- Easy and convenient charging – Drivers will be able to start a charge by driving over the pad without needing to leave their vehicle
- Time saving – Drivers will be able to charge their taxi at the rank whilst waiting for passengers without the need to leave the rank.
- Reducing street clutter – With no charging cables required as the wireless charging equipment is built into the road surface
It is hoped these benefits will encourage the adoption of electric taxis in the city, which will lead to a reduction in emissions and help the city to achieve its carbon neutral 2028 target.
For more information visit the project website here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the battery range of the vehicle?
The LEVC taxi offers 63 miles of pure electric range, with the petrol engine range extender the total range possible is around 318 miles. The Nissan Dynamo taxi is a pure electric taxi and has an estimated range between 124 – 187 miles. Real world range varies depending on types of roads regularly driven on (urban roads vs motorway) and driving style.
How much does it cost to wirelessly charge?
The wireless charging tariff will be set below the rate of D2N2 network chargers. So as well as being more convenient, regular wireless charging will also be more cost effective for drivers than plugging in.
What is the charging speed?
The wireless chargers are designed to help you regularly top up the charge on your vehicles battery throughout the day, the new pads on Trent Street will provide around 11kW. If you are very low on charge 50kW rapid chargers (available on the D2N2 public network) will take 45 minutes to an hour to fully charge your vehicles battery.
