While hybrid taxis have been making inroads, e-taxis so far have been generally unsuccessful. Thus, Israeli-American entrepreneur Shai Agassi certainly is taking a risk by choosing the arduous duty cycle of Tokyo taxis to test the battery swapping platform developed for Project Better Place. According to Autoblog Green reporter Domenick Yoney, Project Better Place will test battery-swapping in Tokyo.


“Although cabs comprise just two percent of the cars in Japan they’re responsible for a whopping 20 percent of the CO2 emitted.”

Project Better Place “received an ‘award’ to carry out a pilot project involving a switching station and battery-powered taxis operated by Nihon Kotsu in Tokyo.” The test site will be in the Roppongi Hills area in Central Tokyo.

A modest test will begin in January with “up to four vehicles using commercially available platforms specially prepared by the venerable engineering firm Tokyo R&D Co, which also will build the battery swapper and supply the diagnostic software for the three-month test.

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