Plans have been announced that will lead to zero emissions taxis serving London by 2012. A collaboration led by hydrogen fuel cell developer, Intelligent Energy, and including Lotus Engineering Ltd, LTI (London Taxis International) Ltd and TRW Conekt, will see a fleet of classic London cabs fitted out with zero emissions hydrogen fuel cell power systems.

The programme is part of the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board recent allocation of funding of £23 million for 16 innovative low carbon vehicle development programmes.

The taxis will be powered by fuel cells and batteries configured into an electric hybrid, so the vehicles will be able to operate for a full day without refuelling. They will be capable of achieving speeds of up to 75 mph, with the fuel cell powertrain providing better acceleration than standard taxis. The vehicles will top up their hydrogen tanks at central depots in a refuelling process will take only a few minutes.

Chief executive officer at Intelligent Energy, Henri Winand, said,
“With the price of oil continuing to rise and CO₂ emissions increasing, we need to introduce alternatives to the petrol and diesel engine. Fuel cell vehicles offer considerable well-to-wheel emissions savings, and produce no pollution at the tail-pipe. The black cab is an internationally recognised and iconic symbol of London and this partnership is an important part of making low carbon transport a practical and near-term reality. This project is central to our plans to supply zero emissions power systems to the automotive market.”

Hydrogen fuel cells produce power from hydrogen and air, the only emissions coming in the form of water vapour. The fuel cell system will be able to function at temperatures as low as –20°C, and will fit in the space allotted to the engine in the current LTI TX4 taxi design.

“Our technical teams have already successfully integrated fuel cell power systems into motorbikes, delivery vehicles and even aircraft, where we recently provided the power system for the world’s first manned fuel cell powered flight. Energy security and the environment remain major global issues, and people around the world are coming to see that hydrogen is a viable solution to our growing energy needs. The taxi project will provide further evidence of our ability to put commercially available hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the market in the coming years, and what better stage to prove the credentials of British innovation than on the way to the 2012 London Olympics,” added Winand.

Peter Shillcock, Managing Director of LTI Ltd said, “As a responsible
automotive manufacturer we are committed to exploring all possible technological solutions to help reduce emissions from our world famous taxi. We are delighted to be involved in the project that will see a fleet of the iconic London taxis operating on the streets of London”.