THE first electric taxi in Brighton and Hove is now on the road and proving a big hit with passengers.

Southern Taxis driver Tony Head has been planning the move over to electric for four years and says it is the “best thing he has ever done”.
The brand new Kia Soul is saving Tony, a driver with Southern Taxis for 11 years, around £400 a month in diesel which has financed the new vehicle.

The taxi’s lithium ion battery lasts about 150 miles before it needs recharging at a public charge point in Brighton or at home overnight on a normal three-pin socket.

Tony said: “I drive about 80 miles a day so I can get two days’ work out the car before it needs recharging.

“So far it is working really well.”

If Tony wants to do an out-of-town journey and needs to recharge, there are rapid charge points on motorways that give an 80% battery boost in just 30 minutes.

He said: “It is the best thing I’ve ever done.
“It’s given me a new lease of life and, as well as financial benefits, I know it’s making a big difference to the environment with zero emissions.

“Passengers notice the quietness and smoothness of the car and I’ve had a great reaction from everyone.”

Another bonus for Tony is that he pays no road tax and gets a 50% reduction on his resident’s parking permit.

Southern Taxis’ managing director Andy Cheesman said: “We’re delighted that Southern Taxis has put the first electric taxi on the streets of Brighton and Hove.

“It’s fantastic for the environment and Tony benefits from saving the cost of fuel.
“I hope that this electric taxi will be the first of many in the city.”

Gill Mitchell, chairwoman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s environment and transport committee, said: “It’s great to see Southern Taxis leading the way towards low emission taxi fleets for Brighton and Hove.

“Taxis are a vital part of the city’s public transport network and cleaner engines mean cleaner air for everyone and a far better environment.”

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Japanese firm SoftBank is reportedly aiming to take a multibillion-dollar stake in Uber, just days after it stumped up cash for Singaporean ride-sharing biz Grab's latest investment round.
According to the Wall Street Journal, SoftBank has approached the lawsuit-ridden taxi app maker about gaining a large stake in the company.
The newspaper reported sources as saying the talks are preliminary and one-sided, and that any potential deal would have to wait until Uber brings on a new chief executive following Travis Kalanick's resignation last month.
SoftBank already invests in three ride-sharing companies in Asia: Ola in India, Didi Chuxing in China, and Grab, based in Singapore and operating in seven countries in Southeast Asia.
Yesterday, SoftBank and Didi announced that they had backed Grab's latest funding round, which raised some $2.5bn, valuing the Singapore biz at more than $6bn. Reports described this as the biggest investment in a tech startup in Southeast Asia.
Adding to the interconnected ride-sharing web, Didi also has investments in Lyft, and last year acquired Uber's Chinese subsidiary, with the merged business reportedly worth $35bn.
Earlier this month, Uber announced plans to merge its business in and around Russia with the local search engine giant Yandex – which has been operating Yandex.Taxi in the region since 2011.
Uber put down $225m for a 36.6 per cent stake in the new company, creatively named NewCo, while Yandex put down $100m and gets a 59.3 per cent stake. The merger should be finalised by Q4 of 2017.

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