Nissan’s all-electric Leaf is becoming increasingly popular with taxi companies

Taxi companies and drivers are increasingly looking at electric vehicles to cut their operating costs.

Nissan calls it a “global electric taxi revolution” and claims that the Leaf is leading it as more and more taxis are using the all-electric vehicle in their fleets.

There are other electric vehicles becoming popular with taxi companies, like Tesla Model S with over 100 units at the Schiphol Airport or Montreal’s growing fleet of Soul EV and Tesla Model S with Taxelco.

But Nissan is having a lot of success in Europe with a fleet of 110 Leafs in Madrid and Uber using a fleet of 20 Leafs in London.

The Japanese automaker says that its EVs are now used in taxi fleets in 26 countries and 113 cities around the world:

“Since then, taxi companies in Spain, The Netherlands, Hungary, the UK, Jordan, Mexico and Poland have all adopted zero-emission Nissan electric taxis. Today, Nissan taxis – LEAF, e-NV200 or both – are in service on five continents, 26 countries and 113 cities around the world.”

Here’s a video of Kikuyo Taxi in Japan, the first fleet to use the Leaf:

While the Leaf is limited to just over 100 miles of range on a single charge, it can still be a efficient taxi vehicle in urban areas.

The next generation of the Leaf, or other electric vehicles like the Chevy Bolt EV or Tesla Model 3 for that matter, should be even more popular with taxis as the range and cost restrictions are removed and as they look to reduce their emissions while achieving significant gas savings and cheaper maintenance.

In the meantime, Nissan has been heavily discounting its current all-electric Leafs, which can prove a cheap way to get into EV ownership and could attract some taxi fleet operators  – check with your local Nissan dealer for Leafs in their inventories.

Nissan’s Journey to electrify the taxi industry:

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