Coventry City Council is pushing for taxi drivers to make the move to electric with the help of a range of incentives.

Coventry cab drivers are being given the chance to try out the latest electric cabs produced by LEVC under a 12-day loan scheme

Part of ongoing work to drive air quality, the council has launched a ‘Go Electric Taxi’ scheme, funded by money from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles and DEFRA’s Air Quality fund and supported by Coventry electric taxi maker LEVC, the Irish energy company ESB, Siemens and taxi app Gett.

The project aims to tackle some of the biggest barriers to EV uptake – which includes lack of familiarity with technology and concerns about EV charging infrastructure – and offers extended test drives, a £2,500 incentive for the first electric taxi orders, free electric charging during the trial and zero-commission fares on taxi app bookings.

ESB and Siemens have also installed the first six of 39 rapid charge points to help with charging issues as part of an Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Scheme. This will also include several EV rapid charging hubs in the city.

Research carried out among Coventry residents found that two-thirds said they would opt for an electric taxi, if given the option. As well as benefiting from zero-emission capable travel, customers will also be able to make the most of laptop charging, mobile phone charging, free WiFi and card payment.