Nissan reveals new London cab

Nissan’s new NV200 Hackney Carriage aims to lower emissions and improve both air quality and mobility for Londoners.

The London Taxi, or Hackney Carriage, has been a celebrated icon of British life since the 17th century. August saw the unveilling of a new Hackney Carriage which manufacturer Nissan hopes will help reduce CO2 and improve the capital’s air quality in line with the Mayor Boris Johnson’s strategy. Nissan claims the NV200 London Taxi is 50 per cent more fuel efficient than alternative cabs. An all-electric e-NV200 concept is also set to undergo trials in the Capital.

Versions have already been unveiled in Tokyo, and it has also been chosen as the exclusive New York City ‘Taxi of tomorrow’. Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, said: “From what I’ve seen of the NV200 London Taxi, it ticks all the right boxes. It’s important that it looks like a cab, is comfortable with good ingress and egress and is reliable. If the fuel consumption figures are as promised, it will be a big seller.”

A particular focus of the NV200 London Taxi was on providing for passengers with mobility issues. Alan Norton, from Assist UK, said: “We have had the opportunity to bring together experts from all fields of disability to work with designers to ensure the vehicle will work for all in their transport needs. The work is ongoing and future refinements are planned after the initial launch.”

The NV200 is based on the company’s multi-purpose NV200 compact van. The Taxi incarnation seats five adults with the front passenger seat removed to create space for luggage. Sliding passenger doors were developed for easy open and close, and also to make things safer for pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles because they do not swing out to create a potential obstruction.

The diesel NV200 London Taxi is expected to be competitively priced below the new TX4 (the London Taxi Company’s current model) and will be available through a specialist Nissan dealer. The NV200 also delivers significantly improved running costs - the model’s 1.5 dCi 89 HP EuroV, 6-speed manual drivetrain achieves 53.3mpg on a combined cycle meaning almost 50 per cent fuel saving than the most efficient TX4 with its combined cycle figure of 35.3mpg.

Fuel costs account for around 10 percent of taxi driver overheads. Over the course of a year, NV200 London Taxi drivers would spend around 50 per cent less (about £700) on fuel than TX4 drivers. The Euro V engine emits up to 138g/km of CO2, compared with 209g/km from the greenest TX4 model. NOx and Particulate Matter gases on which authorities are seeking particular improvement would be reduced by an estimated 135 metric tonnes and 20 metric tonnes per year respectively.

Discussions with stakeholders will continue to try and make an e-NV200 electric version a realistic proposition by increasing investment in charging infrastructure.

Subject to final testing, including a crash-test, the diesel-powered Nissan NV200 aims to receive full London Taxi certification later this year. Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “Having taken the significant step of introducing the first age limit for taxis in London, I am absolutely delighted that manufacturers are stepping up to the plate and are responding to the challenge I set in my air quality strategy to reduce taxi emissions and improve efficiency. I look forward to when a fully competitive model comes to market.”

London cab story
Although the origins of the term ‘Hackney coach’ are unclear, historians suggest it derives from the French word hacquenée, which roughly translates as a horse suitable for hire.

The first Hackney coaches appeared during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, but the Capital’s first motorised cabs hit the street at the end of the 19th Century, and, ironically, were zero-emission. The Bersey taxi was named after its designer, Walter C Bersey of the London Electrical Cab Company, and soon earned the nickname ‘Hummingbirds’ after their distinctive sound. By 1900, the Bersey had been completely withdrawn from service, after proving temperamental and expensive to operate. In 1903, the French-built Prunel becoming the first petrol-powered Hackney Carriage to hit London streets.

The Public Carriage Office introduced Conditions of Fitness for all motor cabs in 1906. Among the many requirements was a turning circle of 25ft - the exact outer diameter of the roundabout in front of the famous Savoy Hotel in London. This helped filter out less suitable machines. Another innovation that remains - the taximeter - became compulsory in 1907 and gave rise to the name taxi.

The First World War hit London’s taxi fleet hard, with all manufacturers switching operations to help the war effort, but after World War II it was the 1948 Austin FX3, built by Carbodies of Coventry, that created the template for the familiar London black cab. Thanks to booming sales, Austin developed a 2.2-litre diesel for the FX3. Its replacement, the FX4, arrived in 1958 and would go on to be a common sight for the best part of five decades.

Having bought the production rights from Austin in the early 1980s, Carbodies had little budget to develop a new model and was forced to update the FX4 with new drivetrains. Among the most popular with cabbies was the Nissan TD27 diesel, which was offered in the 1989 Fairway model. Helped by the introduction of compulsory wheelchair access, the Nissan-powered Fairway remains a favourite with many taxi drivers. New regulations which restrict the use of taxis over 15 years old will result in their disappearance in the next few months.

Now, we see a challenger to the TX family arrive on London’s streets. With a Zero Emissions electric e-NV200 set to follow it into production, the next chapter in the rich history of the famous London Taxi may see it go full circle.