Electric Taxis in Bogata

Taxis seem to be among the worst possible applications for electric vehicles, since they’re constantly on the go, with no defined routes, thus range and charging times represent huge issues.  (The exception here, of course, is taxis that are based at airports, and can charge, perhaps inductively, while in queue – though this requires an investment in infrastructure that exists nowhere on Earth at this time.) Apparently, none of this mattered to the government of Bogata, Columbia in their decision to bring in the BYD e6 as a replacement for internal combustion engines.

According to the Wikipedia article on the subject of power generation in Columbia:

The electricity sector in Colombia is dominated by large hydropower generation (65%) and thermal generation (35%). Despite the country’s large potential in new renewable energy technologies (mainly wind, solar and biomass), this potential has been barely tapped. A 2001 law designed to promote alternative energies lacks certain key provisions to achieve this objective, such as feed-in tariffs, and has had little impact so far. Large hydropower and thermal plants dominate the current expansion plans. The construction of a transmission line with Panama, which will link Colombia with Central America, is underway.

I’ve met the people from BYD at numerous car shows over the years, and this fleet sales approach is quite consistent with their strategy.  They’re not at all in a hurry to introduce the e6 to the consumer market.