Another EV taxi is on the road! - Tayside Taxi Business Goes Electric

28 April, 2020 | Dundee Electric

Tayside Taxi Business Goes Electric

North Fife based taxi owner David Bayne of Tayport Taxis recently took the plunge and bought electric, and he’s loving it.

"This is the first electric vehicle that we have gone with, and I hope to run with more in the future.” explained David.

"I went electric for a number of reasons. Cost being the first – the cost of diesel and petrol is only getting higher and there are a lot of incentives for going electric from the Government, including the OLEV Plug-In Vehicle Grant and the Scottish Government's interest-free Electric Vehicle Loan. Charging Stations are really easy to find, and there are websites available which not only show you where the charging stations are, but also if they are in use at the time.

I decided on the MG ZS EV because it’s a beautiful vehicle and nice to drive too. The team at Mackie Motors were really good and looked after me right the way through. And of course, there’s the price – it’s one of the best priced electric vehicles on the road”.

David benefited from £3,500 off the price of the car through the OLEV Plug-In Vehicle Grant. He also took advantage of the Scottish Government's interest-free Electric Vehicle Loan which is delivered on behalf of Transport Scotland through the Energy Saving Trust.

"The launch of the MG ZS EV last Autumn has proved an incredible success,” explained Kevin Mackie, Managing Director of Mackie Motors. “We put this down to the growing consumer and business appetite for electric vehicles and the affordability of the MG ZS EV, when compared to other electric vehicles in the market.

As has been widely publicised, the UK government recently announced plans to bring forward a ban on petrol and diesel (and possibly hybrid) car sales to 2035. As a business working with three strong electric vehicle brands in Renault, Nissan and MG we are in a great position to service the growing demand for electric vehicles in the North East of Scotland."

The surprisingly affordable, family friendly, fully electric MG ZS EV comes with a 7-year manufacturer warranty, which includes the battery. The water-cooled 4.5 kWh lithium-ion battery boasts a range of 163 miles from a single charge on a WLTP combined cycle.

The ZS EV, like most electric vehicles, can be recharged at home on a standard home charger in seven hours or if you’re out and about it can be rapid charged to 80% in just 40 minutes.

There are over 11,000 locations with public charge points installed across the UK, including a growing network of free-to-use* public charge points available across Scotland through ChargePlace Scotland. Zap-Map provide lots of great tools including a map of charging locations and a Route Planning App (available on IOS and Android smart devices).

Click here to hear from David and how he got on at Mackie Motors when purchasing his new EV!

Web: www.mackiemotors.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MackieMotors/
Twitter: @MackieMotors
Instagram:www.instagram.com/mackiemotors/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/mackie-motors

Testimonials

“I love my new Nissan Leaf… the forward-thinking city council are at the forefront of the whole electric car revolution”

Lorraine Kelly

“Electric taxis always surprise our customers with how quiet they are. The switch from fuel to electricity has saved us thousands – and it’s clean too!”

There are now a total of 187 electric taxis operating in Dundee which is 25% of all taxis operating in the city.

Dundee Taxis

“Electric vehicles have reduced the city’s cO2 levels by 987 tonnes so far (Sept 2017)”

Dundee City Council have 223 electric vehicles (and counting) in their fleet, the biggest of any UK local authority.

Gary McRae, Dundee City Council

“The excellent charging infrastructure in Dundee makes running an electric car very easy. I often plug in to one of the chargers in town, pop to the shops and my Nissan Leaf is fully charged by the time I’m done. I can’t wait to use the charging hubs that are planned across the city. The ability to park for free in the Dundee City Council car parks because my car has zero emissions is an added bonus.”

Elinor, Dundee

“We are now using an electric car since 2012 and will not go back to a petrol car. The drive is smooth, responsive and quiet. With Dundee getting better and better with chargers in several places, free parking in Council car parks, what’s not to like? The car has saved us money compared to the Ford Ka we had before, with currently over 90,000 miles, you can’t tell us it’s not used. Looking forward to the new charging hubs in Dundee.”

Erwin, Alyth

“EVs are over 60% cheaper to refuel than modern petrol and diesel cars and have only 1% of the moving components, so they’re really reliable. There are EVs that have clocked up over 174,000 miles in three years and only needed a ball bearing replaced. Switching to an EV from a 70mpg hybrid and charging it at home has saved me £500 per year on fuel and maintenance alone – double that if I only use Dundee’s free public charge points!”

Euan, Dundee University graduate

“Our two electric vans have completely transformed our business. Not only have they helped reduced our running costs, but they are much better for the environment and work well with the stop start style of driving that we do on our free pick-up and delivery service. The move over to electric vehicles has been extremely easy due to the excellent facilities for charging in the local Dundee area. We are even considering adding a third electric vehicle to our fleet.”

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