Volkswagen London Taxi



The Volkswagen London Taxi is, in VW's words, "a conceptual twist on a British institution". It was the third in a series of electric powered concept taxis developed by Volkswagen to showcase different variations on the UP! compact electric car. VW's designers have previously covered Milan and Berlin in their faux-taxi lineup.



The concept was unveiled by Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design at Volkswagen, at a special event in London on the 14th December 2010.


The Volkswagen London Taxi Concept was designed to help meet the challenges faced by vehicles in modern cities, with ever tighter restrictions on space and emissions, the Volkswagen Taxi Concept is powered by an electric motor fed by lithium-ion batteries. With a capacity of 45 kW/h the batteries allow the electric motor to generate a maximum power output of 115 horsepower - allowing for a top speed of 74 mph.


The Volkswagen London Taxi Concept has an impressive range of 186 miles. And the batteries can take in 80 percent of their maximum charge within one hour.

The Volkswagen London Taxi Concept is more compact than the Volkswagen Fox (the company's current smallest car) however thanks to its long wheelbase and short front and rear overhangs the concept has generous interior space - with room for two adults to be seated in comfort, plus an allocated area for luggage located where the front passenger seat would normally reside.


The overall design theme running throughout the VW London Taxi Concept is simplicity, with an elegant, clutter-free look to the interior. The major functions of the car including climate, entertainment and fare information are all grouped onto one touchscreen display located next to the driver. In the back, a similar screen allows the passengers to keep up-to-date on their route and current location.


The styling of the Volkswagen London Taxi Concept deliberately features tongue-in-cheek details such as the silver Union Jack on the roof, and the City of London's coat of arms on each door. Elegant daytime running lights mounted within the headlight units are joined by a distinctive 'Taxi' light on the roof. This has two settings - it glows green when the driver's looking for work, and red when he's not.


At the rear the light units are integrated into the 60:40 split tailgate, behind which are a pair of integrated storage units to hold the driver's belongings.

While the Volkswagen London Taxi Concept doesn’t adhere to current legal requirements regulating taxis in London, it does offer an insight into the possibility of a future small, efficient taxi that offers an alternative to conventional fuels.