- The green transformation of taxi driving is in full swing.
- The government’s goal is that no new taxis emit CO2 or air pollution from 2025, and by 2030 all taxis must be zero-emission cars.
On Friday, 5 November, Toyota and the taxi service DRIVR put over 100 hydrogen taxis on the road in Copenhagen, supporting the policy goals for a greener taxi industry.
When you get into a new taxi in 2025, it won’t emit CO2 or any air pollution. This is the government’s objective for the taxi industry, which must lead the way in the green transition, just like public bus transport, according to a majority of politicians at Christiansborg.
The app-based taxi service, DRIVR, is one of the taxi companies that is furthest ahead in the green transition, and customers have long been able to choose between hybrid cars, electric cars and hydrogen cars. But now DRIVR is significantly increasing the number of hydrogen taxis in its fleet, and in early November, in cooperation with Toyota, put over 100 hydrogen taxis on the roads in Copenhagen.
This has just been marked at Ofelia Plads in the centre of Copenhagen, where Toyota officially handed over the new hydrogen taxis to DRIVR. The cars are all Toyota Mirai models, the world’s first dedicated hydrogen car, whose only emission while driving is water so clean you can drink it.
Picture of CEO Haydar Shaiwandi (left) from DRIVR, CEO Alar Metsson from Toyota Denmark and Mobility Manager Bo Svane from Toyota Denmark.
Green transition takes shape
Tejs Laustsen Jensen, director of the Brintbranchen, welcomes the many pollution-free hydrogen taxis and expresses his satisfaction that the green transition in the taxi industry is taking shape.
“There is no doubt that the taxi industry is a key driver in the green transition. They are in constant operation and cover a lot of kilometres every day, especially in big cities. The switch from black diesel to green hydrogen ensures the same operation and flexible mobility, just without harmful emissions,” says Tejs Laustsen Jensen, Director of the Hydrogen Industry.
He also highlights the positive impact on infrastructure that the many hydrogen taxis will also bring.
“The many new taxis are helping to create the necessary offtake of hydrogen at refuelling stations, which is essential for the infrastructure to expand. And the taxis are rolling showcases for green hydrogen technology, which is an area where the strong Danish value chain of suppliers is among the best in the world,” Tejs Laustsen Jensen points out.
Following one of Denmark’s largest public tenders for taxi services, the municipality of Copenhagen has just chosen DRIVR to provide all of the municipality’s so-called ad hoc taxi services. As a result, children with disabilities, mentally challenged citizens, citizens on their way to the hospital, municipal employees on duty and politicians will in future be transported completely pollution-free in hydrogen cars when driving by taxi.
“We are extremely proud that DRIVR has been entrusted with the important task of helping the municipality to make Copenhagen greener, and we are very grateful for the cooperation with Toyota, which has enabled us to take on the task with the many new Mirai hydrogen cars,” says DRIVR’s CEO, Haydar Shaiwandi.
A growing interest in hydrogen cars
Toyota, which has supplied more than 100 hydrogen cars to DRIVR, reports a general increase in interest in hydrogen cars in the taxi industry and welcomes DRIVR’s forward-looking approach to mobility.
“We are pleased to have delivered the first 100+ hydrogen taxis to DRIVR and are ready to deliver even more going forward. In this way, we support their mission to be the greenest taxi company in Denmark and at the same time contribute to Toyota’s mission to go beyond zero CO2 from new cars,” says CEO Alar Metsson at Toyota Denmark and elaborates:
“The only emission from the Mirai hydrogen car while driving is clean water. At the same time, it also cleans the air around it, removing both nitrogen filters and tiny particles, which means that the more hydrogen cars drive in Copenhagen, the more they clean the air. This is one of the reasons why hydrogen also plays an important role in the green transition,” explains Alar Metsson.
DRIVR’s 100+ hydrogen taxis are launched as part of the European Hydrogen Mobility Europe 2 (H2ME2) and Zero Emission Fleet Vehicles For European Rollout (ZEFER) projects, supported by The Fuel Cell Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), in which the City of Copenhagen, Toyota and the Hydrogen Industry are partners. The project aims to roll out hydrogen solutions for transport across the EU and has contributed to both vehicles and hydrogen refuelling stations in Denmark.
The H2ME2 and the ZEFER project receive funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 700350 and No 779538. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
