The challenge
Taxi companies are operating in an ever-changing world, especially due to new environmental regulations that are being placed on the most congested areas of city centres. To comply with the new Government environmental regulations Councils began to create Low Emission Zones in City Centres with the aim of reducing the number of the highest polluting vehicles on the roads. These Zones can be problematic for taxi companies due to the high dependency of fossil fuel vehicles which are typically used for their journeys. In this case Oxford Street was recognised as one of the most polluted streets in the world and Westminster Council decided to introduce the Ultra-Low Emission Zone. The ULEZ is a 24 hour charging zone that covers a large area of the Borough of Westminster. The highest polluting vehicles were not permitted to enter the Zone without paying £12.50 per day.
Q-Park’s solution
Q-Park created an Urban Mobility Hub in their Park Lane car park which is situated right on the border of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone. The mobility housed many different partners who offered a variety of mobility services including electric vehicle charging facilities used by Transport for London black taxi drivers as well as Private Hire drivers from Uber, one of the world’s largest ride hailing apps.
The taxi drivers have access to rapid charging facilities to allow them to quickly top up their vehicle’s battery. It can take around 30 minutes for them to get a full charge and they have access to the convenience facilities available in the mobility which include vending machines, Wi-Fi and phone charging points. With their vehicles located in the safe and secure environment that Q-Park offer, there is much less risk of damage or crime that has been known to occur with on street charging points.
Tenants of the Park Lane Mobility Hub have the option to use Q-Park’s state of the art innovative PaSS (Parking as a Smart Service) system which includes the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition. This allows vehicles to simply enter and exit the facility by number plate giving a seamless experience.
Outcome
Q-Park have created a scheme which is transferable to every city in the UK in this ever-changing environment. London specifically anticipates that by 2025 taxis and private hire vehicles will account for 80% of all public charging demand in the city which it would be wise to predict that other cities would catch up the following years. Therefore fast, reliable charging infrastructure in convenient locations is essential to give business and fleet customers the confidence to make the switch to electric.
To find out more about Q-Park's Sustainable Mobility Hubs click here
