UK’s first wireless charging taxi rank trial ends

Nottingham City Council is wrapping up the UK’s first wireless electric taxi charging rank after a four-month trial. 

Over 1,000 ‘wireless charging events’ have taken place over the trial with more than 20 taxi drivers taking part using loaned vehicles and providing feedback on how to technology could be implemented wider in the future.

Cllr Audra Wynter, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and Parks, said: ‘Our transport teams have now completed this pioneering project. 

‘Now we’re working to get lots of useful insights and data fed back to the Government to help make plans for how convenient and accessible charging infrastructure can be rolled out to support electric vehicles use in the future.’ 

The trial, which saw give wireless ‘charging pads’ installed at Trent Street taxi rank, began after the council received a £930,000 grant from the Zero Emission Vehicles office through Innovate UK, a government body. 

Feedback provided by taxi drivers was mostly positive, according to the council, though many said that faster charging would be appreciated as the system only offered a 10kW charging rate. 

One taxi driver who used the service, named Kulvinder, said: ‘It’s a brilliant idea. I enjoyed wireless charging every day. I would charge and then get a customer. It saved me time. I would like faster wireless charging in the future.’ 

Nine electric taxis were used as part of the trial, including five from the London Electric Vehicle Company and four Nissan Dynamo’s. They were fitted with specialised wireless charging hardware to use the charging pads. 

The area used for the trial will now be turned back into a normal taxi rank with the street also set to see some improvements, such as resurfacing and new footpaths, as part of the Transforming Cities fund. 

Government funding for projects looking into the future of technology in travel was brought into the spotlight recently by a series of grants looking at the use of automated driving tech.

Photo: Nottingham City Council