The firm already runs a fleet of 25 Nissan LEAFs and was the first private taxi service to switch to a fleet of 100% electric taxis in November 2011. The Dutch company's fleet of Nissan LEAF's has now amassed a trouble-free 1.5 million km in taxi operations.

This summer will also see the firm introduce the Nissan e-NV200 taxi to its fleet following the start of global production of the all-electric model in May.

Andy Palmer, EVP Nissan said: ‘Taxi Electric was one of the first electric taxi companies in the world, and I've been impressed with their progress since their launch two years ago. They were the first to prove that zero-emission taxis – in the form of Nissan LEAFs – are a viable alternative. They have covered an astonishing distance in their fleet in such a short time and have shown just how reliable our electric technology is in a demanding environment. Their pioneering spirit closely matches ours and we are certain they will continue their success with the ground-breaking Nissan e-NV200.’

Ruud Zandvliet, founder of Taxi Electric, added: ‘Two years ago we started with 10 Nissan LEAF. Each of these travelled well over 100,000km and proved to be extremely reliable. Since last summer demand for our taxis is growing rapidly which allowed us to double our fleet.  We are very excited about the e-NV200 as it is designed to be a taxi. This will improve our offering and open new business opportunities for us.’

The news follows the previous announcement that the city of Barcelona has signed a memorandum of understanding with Nissan to promote the e-NV200 as a taxi for the Spanish region.