The environmentally-friendly taxi company, which already has a fleet of 300 hybrids and two Renault Fluence Z.E. electric saloons in use around the capital, said it would add the five-seat e6 electric crossover to its fleet for use as soon as the second quarter of 2013. These would be charged using points at clients’ offices, as well as public units and greentomatocars’ own fleet and vehicle servicing facility.

Jonny Goldstone, managing director of greentomatocars, said: ‘As a car, we see strong parallels between the e6 of today and the then-unfashionable Toyota Prius of 2006. It’s exciting to think that, even as a five-car start up, we played a major role in making the Prius popular; given the scale, experience and high-tech infrastructure we now have at our disposal, we’d love to “do a Prius” with the e6, and help propel electric vehicles into the automotive mainstream – where they deserve and, for all our sakes, need to be.’

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, added: ‘It is my aim that London's minicabs and taxis will be zero-emission by 2020, which will have a major impact on air quality. Every year the fleet is getting cleaner, making our city an even more attractive place to live, work and visit. Encouraging many more electric vehicles is a key part of this transformation, so it is great news that greentomatocars has committed to operating 50 of these super clean machines from next year.’