Japan's Electric Taxis Falling Out Of Favor With Drivers
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All is not well with Japan's electric taxi drivers.
Two years ago, in February 2011, the city of Osaka introduced a fleet of fifty Nissan Leaf taxis. The deal was a cooperative arrangement between Nissan, 30 taxi firms, and the government--each was being subsidized to the tune of 1,780,000 Yen--over $21,000 at the time.
The car's would clean up Japan's clogged streets, an improvement on the ubiquitous, square-jawed Toyota Crown taxis used throughout Japanese cities.
And initially, reports Japan Today, they went down a storm.
“It’s not fatiguing to drive them. There’s no vibration or knocks from the engine,” said one driver. “They just glide smoothly. The electric power is far cheaper than outlays for gasoline, and there are few mechanical failures. Eventually we’re certain that EV taxis will become the most common type on the road.”
It's not surprising to see the reaction, either.
Like many countries, the incumbent taxis are often chosen for their reliability and simplicity, rather than their comfort or driving characteristics. That's why New York is full of hardy Crown Vics, London's streets are crowded with rattling diesel black cabs, and Mexico only recently relinquished the ubiquitous VW Bug. A Nissan Leaf really would feel like the future to the average taxi driver.
Turning tide?
However, problems have begun to emerge.
The first came in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, following 2011's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
As we reported at the time, many people were worried that electric cars would be giving off the wrong image--conspicuous consumption of electricity at a time when power was in high demand and very short supply. Electricity is no longer seen as the clean, safe option it once was.
There are other issues too--the cars themselves.
While reliable, comfortable and smooth as ever, high-mileage drivers are finding degredation of the battery packs to be an issue.
Where a 60-mile range was once common in regular use, some are finding that cut to as low as 30 miles--and to save energy as much as possible, some drivers are shunning the car's heater in favor of chemical pocket warmers, and even blankets.
Degredation of the battery pack has also had an effect on the battery's ability to take a quick charge. A 15-minute charge has turned into a 40-minute one for many drivers. They can't travel as far, and they can't spend as much time on the road--and it's ruining business, for some. Customers requesting longer trips are even being turned down.
There's no get-out for the drivers, either. To qualify for the government's subsidy, the electric cars must be run for a minimum of three years. That's a year too long for some--“I’m getting out of this business,” said one driver, “This is no way to earn a living.”
Perspective
Osaka's electric taxi drivers aren't facing unheard-of problems, but nor can their experiences be considered the norm--either for electric car owners, or electric taxi drivers.
Climate, driving routes and charging habits all make a difference to how well a car lasts, and the life of a taxi is never an easy one.
The main issue for Leaf batteries is still excessive heat, rather than cold (though cold climates do reduce the car's range). And as a recent survey showed, frequency of quick charging seems to have little bearing on a battery's life or health.
What it does suggest is that in some localities, electric vehicles aren't yet ready for heavy-duty tasks like taxi work.
While that's no consolation to the drivers losing business through degrading vehicles, progress can only be made by analysing these kind of trials--and it'll make electric taxis of the future much better suited to the task at hand.
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This is NOT good at all for BEV movement. Combined with cold winter, I am NOT surprised that it is a 30 mile car after few years, extreme cold and 50,000 miles...
sounds like the drivers used all Level 3 charging, which beats up the batteries. i'd guess the best thing would be to change out the battery packs and take apart the pulled packs for analysis. Even with a 6.6 KW charger, the car would take 4 hours to get to full charge.
Wouldn't Nissan's new battery warranty cover the taxi that's only getting 30 miles of range? If that 30 miles of range is not accurate, Nissan would do well to rebut/explain that claim. Even if the heat is kept on high, which makes sense for a taxi, anything less than 50 miles on a full 100% charge is really bad.
Plus, I believe the battery situation is an awful con/manipulation by the powers that be. i.e. the corporations involved in all the shenanigans going on behind closed doors.
Get the DVD out of the store, 'Who Killed the Electric Car'. http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/
You'll gain a valuable education about corporate gangsters right there in the good ol' U S of A.
Decent batteries won't be put in the cars until the gazzillionaire petroleum producers can find a way to screw another buck out of the consumer.
Back in 2006
I think Nissan warranty is 70% degradation in 5 yr and 70,000 miles.
A 73 miles EV with 70% degradation is 51 miles. But Nissan didn't say what kind of miles are those. If the 73 mi are in mild weather, no high speed or heat, then a super cold weather can easily degrade the range by 30%.
So, that 51 miles range in ideal situation (covered by warranty) will be a 36 miles range. And if you charge up to 80% only to preserve the battery, then that 36 miles range becomes a 29 miles in extreme cold, with heat on, after 70,000 miles and charged up to 80%.
Those concerns are real. Of course, I don't believe all Leaf will behave that way. However, the worst one can be that bad.
So I suggest leasing a Leaf or get a Volt..
The closest I came across is this: http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi/view/osakas-great-ev-taxi-experiment-does-a-slow-burnout
from which the above article is almost a straight copy-paste.
In it, the same "one driver" who claims having lost over half capacity also states for example "what's more, there are only eight charging stations in all of Osaka city”. Here's a map showing just fast-chargers (and maybe not even all of them): http://goo.gl/maps/pTrxC
So, not very convincing... Does anyone have more reliable source(s) or data?
"15 minute charge is now a 40 minute charge" means nothing without knowing the state of charge upon completion.
I DC quick charge 3-5 times per week and have since getting the car, my battery is unaffected.
i think the real issue of this story is disgruntled taxi owners upset over the charging infrastructure or a clause in their contracts. there should be no reason why they have to "drive to charge" its just poor management
If you're able to provide more clear data on Japan's other Leaf taxis than "I was there last month and they seemed fine", then we'd welcome it - we're always interested to offer a variety of viewpoints.
In the absence of anything solid though, we can only report on the cases we find.
But Nissan should use this as an opprtunity to determine what's the limits on the Leaf
Taxi Drivers are the ultimate testers for reliability and longevity of cars.
Electric cars are simply not green. They just shift the source of pollution elsewhere. They are also not efficient use of oil since you have to burn more barrels of oil to power an electric car than that used to power a gas car.
Far better are hybrids or alternative fuel source cars - such as alcohol or biodiesel cars. They have renewable sources of energy.
According to the landmark 2007 EPRI-NRDC study (look it up), if we convert fully two-thirds of U.S. vehicle miles to plug-in power, it would add only 8 percent to total U.S. grid power demand assuming *most* (not all) of the charging is done at night.
And that two-thirds level won't be reached for DECADES, if ever.
Similarly, the wells-to-wheels carbon footprint of an electric car fueled on the very dirtiest grids in the nation (WV and ND) is lower than a 25-mpg car. In CA, which will buy more plug-ins than the next 5 states combined, it's equivalent to a 100-mpg car. Which doesn't exist.
I have done the math for you. You can go to EIA's website and look up the numbers yourself. If 1million EVs all drive 40 miles per day and charge on the grid, it would only add 0.38% to the existing US grid load.
10 Million EVs? That is 3.8%.
100 Millions EVs? That is only 38% at most.
That is assuming all of them drive 40 miles/day. Many people drive less than that.
So, I don't know where you get that 7x from. Out of thin air?
In fact refining and delivering gallon of gas to a gas tank requires the use of enough energy to run an EV for about 28 miles. This is required for refined gasoline even before a drop of it is even burned in the average 23 MPG US auto engine.
Also, electricity can be generated from solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable sources.
Given that it really seems to prove to me that performance of all-electric vehicles really is still "unknown" (For some, LEAF battery range isn't a problem, for others it is... Yada yada yada...) I think BEVs are really still "experimental" and is no where NEAR "mass market adoption--despite Ghoen's and Musk's talk.
That said, I'm still happy that Nissan, Tesla, Ford and others ARE taking the steps! (And it's why I still am HAPPY that I leased a Ford Focus Electric!)
Maybe Nissan could do a cabby version of the Leaf using Toshiba's SCiB battery. The rugged lithium titanate chemistry should be able to handle what cabbies throw at it like endless fast charging. It would be more expensive upfront but cost per mile should be substantially lower.
I'm afraid what you have there is "a different view", rather than "the truth".
Generally speaking I can see the combination battery switching/cabs work though. Mind you: the cost of one switch station buys you a lot of fastchargers.
Have an opinion?Join the conversation!