The future of eTaxis: charging directly at the taxi stand. The first eTaxi project site has entered into operation on the grounds of Wien Energie at the Simmering power plant. Here, electric cars from Hyundai and VW are automatically charged with the Matrix Charging technology. Typical application scenarios of daily taxi operations are being tested.
The Austrian Energy and Climate Plan calls for the exclusive licensing of emission-free taxis as of 2025. Many tasks have been promoted in Austria in the past years to promote climate protection and a transition to emission-free mobility. As pioneers in this area, Vienna and Graz have recognized that the successful operation of electric taxis also requires charging infrastructure right at the taxi stand. This allows taxi drivers to use every minute of the waiting time between trips for charging the car. Concerns regarding to insufficient range and time-consuming trips to remote charging stations will then be history.
“With the embedded Matrix Charging Pads we have a solution for simple and practical charging directly at the site. Instead of an extra trip to a charging station, the time at the taxi stand can be used for charging. This is an important step towards a more convenient use of eTaxis.”
Leopold Kautzner, chairman of the transport industry section of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce
The project eTaxi Austria is a flagship project that actively supports the electrification of taxi fleets via automated charging options at the taxi stand and attractive taxi packages. Before starting the pilot stage with over 60 vehicles and a total of ten sites in Vienna and Graz, a project site was realized for field testing of various scenarios.
“For e-mobility to be successful in all areas, suitable charging solutions are needed for the respective use cases. With the new matrix charging technology, taxi drivers can charge directly at the taxi stand during their standing times and can thus continuously recharge their battery. Thanks to our intelligent load management, green electricity refueling at the taxi stand works in a way that is gentle on the grid and can also be implemented for larger e-taxi fleets.”
Michael Strebl, CEO of Wien Energie
This project site at the area of Wien Energie’s power plant in Simmering is simulating a real taxi stand. The parking and charging spots are situated in a row. Three Matrix Charging pads are flush-integrated into the pavement. The vehicles used are a Hyundai IONIQ 5 and a VW ID.4. Once a vehicle parks above a charging pad, the Connector integrated in the vehicle lowers onto the charging pad and the vehicle charges automatically. The Matrix Charging pads are connected to a load management system of Wien Energie, which provides the required charging power at the taxi stand. The testing site will deliver insights into automated charging and various load management scenarios that are specific to eTaxi applications.
About eTaxi Austria
Making urban taxi fleets more climate-friendly requires cooperation between many different parties. With this vision in mind, a consortium has been formed by the Vienna and Styrian Chambers of Commerce, Wien Energie and Energie Graz, Easelink, the Graz Energy Agency, Taxi 40100 and Taxi 31300 as well as vibe moves you and Quintessenz Organisationsberatung under the leadership of tbw research.
In addition, numerous other cooperation partners have been involved from the start to enable the operation of eTaxis on the streets of Vienna and Graz in a more convenient way via automated, conductive charging right at the taxi stand. The ÖAMTC as well as Hyundai and Porsche Inter Auto support the upcoming pilot operation.
Details on the project team and the other project members can be found here.
The project is being funded by the Climate and Energy Fund as part of the “Zero Emission Mobility Implementation” program. Until mid-2024 it will prepare a profound base for further transformations in mobility. The Graz Climate Protection Fund is additionally supporting the project implementation in Graz.