It was slightly strange, cruising along in the back of a London black cab - in the Arctic Circle.
It was minus 10C outside, and that was without the effect of the howling wind and driving snow.
But this is where the brand new design for this iconic vehicle is secretly being tested.
The one we were driving in was black and white, camouflaged so competitors could not take accurate photos.
The camouflage hid the contours but when it hits the streets the cab will be the usual, traditional, colour and shape.
The critical difference is in how it sounds - virtually silent.
Because the new cab has an electric engine it is almost a zero-emissions vehicle, although it does have a small petrol motor that can charge the battery from time to time, to extend its range.
It is being put through its paces on the edge of Norway for two reasons.
One, the manufacturer tests all new vehicles in extreme temperatures to see how they perform.
Two, it wants to sell it in polluted cities all over the world, including Moscow, which can get a little chilly in the winter.
The diesel problem
At the moment, all black cabs have diesel engines, and diesel has become the new villain in the war on air pollution.
Figures from Transport for London - from 2013 - estimate that black taxis are responsible for 15% of the poisonous gases called nitrogen oxides produced by traffic in central London.
They also generate 26% of the harmful, larger, soot-like particles called PM10s, and 31% of the smaller particles, called PM2.5s.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has made cleaning the air in the city his number one priority, so by 2018 he says that every newly-licensed taxi must be "zero-emissions capable".
That basically means you need to be able to drive 30 miles without generating any air pollution, which is something the new cabs can easily do.
Image caption The black and white design hides the contours so that competitors can't see the design
There are also plans for 150 rapid charging points by 2018, and for 300 of them by 2020.
But even allowing for thousands of pounds in subsidies, the new cab will cost more than £40,000 each.
When I - somewhat unscientifically - stopped seven or eight drivers as they sat in a rank waiting for passengers, I got the same response each time and it was along these lines:
"Nice idea, but business is haemorrhaging with all the mini cab apps and I just can't afford it!"
Some made the point that the younger drivers might think it was worth the investment, but the older ones did not feel they would ever make their money back.
Mind you, Steve McNamara from the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) - which represents many cabbies - was in Norway to see the new vehicle in action.
Not only did he like it, he told me it was vital that cabbies went green.
Click on Link to see Video
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39121306
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EDINBURGH
A gang of around 10 youths allegedly carried out a racially motivated attack on a taxi driver, dragging him out of his vehicle and on to the road.
One of the gang also jumped on the bonnet and smashed the windscreen before a three-figure sum of cash was taken, police said.
The incident began when the group stepped out into the road and forced the vehicle to stop.
At least one of the youths managed to open the boot and steal an item.
Police said they wanted to speak to witnesses to the assault and robbery, which took place in West Pilton Place, Edinburgh.
The taxi was first approached close to the road's junction with Crewe Road Gardens at around 6.55pm on Sunday.
The suspects are described as male and female, aged between 14 and 20 years old.
The man who jumped on the taxi was white, tall, of slim build and wearing a red top.
The local residents' association, Trim and Friends of West Pilton, said it was part on an ongoing problem and has demanded a meeting with Holyrood's justice secretary, Michael Matheson.
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