by Agence France-Presse
Electric taxi in Tokyo.Photo: Better PlaceTOKYO—The world’s first taxis with easily replaceable batteries hit the streets of the Japanese capital Monday in a government-funded experiment.
The purpose-built cars that can run on easily swapped batteries—rather than wait to be recharged or switch to other fuels—were launched in Tokyo by Japan’s energy agency.
Three cars based on the Nissan Dualis will operate as normal taxis on the city’s streets during the 90-day experiment, a joint project with Better Place, a U.S. firm specializing in providing electric vehicle infrastructure.
“Tokyo can become the capital of electric vehicles,” said Kiyotaka Fujii, president of the Japanese unit of Better Place.
Ordinary Tokyo taxis can clock up as many as 185 miles a day, the company says, and the city is by far the world’s largest taxi market with 60,000 cabs—more than New York, Paris, and London combined.
While taxis represent only 2 percent of all passenger vehicles in Tokyo, they emit about 20 percent of all carbon dioxide from vehicles.
“By building a good business model, we believe this technology can have a significant impact on the economy and society,” said Japanese energy agency official Minoru Nakamura.
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