Addison Lee Group (ALG) is to pilot the new Audi e-tron as part of its London fleet of taxis.
Five of the e-trons will be introduced to ALG’s customers via its chauffeur service for a six month period. There is the possibility of e-trons being added to the fleet permanently after the pilot, as part of the company’s ambitions of achieving a zero emissions capable fleet.
The trial will provide operational insights into real-world performance and considerations for an all-electric fleet, with the intention of providing understanding for the company, as well as customers and drivers, of the opportunities and challenges that would pose. It is hoped that findings from the pilot will help shape ALG’s future plans for its fleet.
The pilot is the first project to be launched under ALG’s new sustainable mobility innovation arm, mVentures. The innovation unit will bring together the company’s industry partnerships, accelerator and incubator mobility projects and pilots.
A combination of home charging and public charging infrastructure will be utilised by drivers of the vehicles.
Andy Boland, Addison Lee Group CEO, said the partnership demonstrates “the power of combining two large scale” companies to make a positive impact.
“Integrating electric vehicles into transport networks will be central to helping cities hit air quality targets and reduce emissions.
“Following our achievement of ULEZ compliance for the whole Addison Lee Group’s passenger fleet, this partnership is the next major step on the road to achieving a 100% zero emissions capable fleet,” he added.