London’s taxi and private hire trade embrace zero emission vehicles

All new private hire vehicles licensed to operate in London must now be zero emission capable, in support of the London Mayor's ambition for a net zero-carbon city by 2030. TfL announced the timetable for the January 2023 zero emission capable requirement seven years ago and says it has worked with the industry to ensure it was prepared for this date.

The new requirement supersedes the condition introduced in 2020 that all vehicles under 18 months old and licensed for the first time had to be zero emission capable. As a result of this planned transition, around a quarter of all private hire vehicles in London already meet zero emission capable standards and a number of the larger minicab operators have committed to running all-electric fleets by 2025.

The switch among black cab drivers is even greater with more than 40 per cent now capable of producing no emissions at their exhausts.

London currently has more than 11,000 charge points, with 820 being fast or ultra rapid chargers that can deliver a full charge in 20-30 minutes.

London's Electric Vehicle Delivery Plan identifies the need for 40,000-60,000 charging points by 2030, of which 10 per cent will be rapid. TfL has already made land available for the construction of a further 100 rapid charging points by the end of 2023 and intends to free up further public land to accommodate 1,000 of the estimated 4,000 faster charging points required.

As well as playing a pivotal role in helping Londoners breathe cleaner air, minicab drivers making the switch to fully zero emission vehicles will also benefit from the Cleaner Vehicle Discount, meaning they won't have to pay the Congestion Charge until January 2026.

Helen Chapman, TfL's Director of Licensing and Regulation, said, “The taxi and private hire trade has embraced electric vehicles in recent years, with thousands already being used to pick up passengers from all corners of the capital. Toxic air in London is a public health emergency and this new requirement will act as a catalyst in significantly further reducing toxic emissions and carbon dioxide, which is a major contributor to global warming.

“We know that with the boom in electric vehicles, many more charging sites will be needed. London is on track to meet these projections, which we are supporting by making public land available and ensuring the fast charging points a world city needs are being built at pace and in significant numbers.”