The Feasibility of Electric Vehicles as Taxis in a Canadian Context

This study combined real-world driving data and battery simulations to evaluate electric taxi (eTaxi) feasibility in Canada. On-road data from two gasoline fueled taxis, (1-shift, 55,280 km/year; 2-shift, 108,700 km/year) provided performance targets for simulations of electric vehicles (EVs). A project objective was to assess to what degree an EV could attain these targets over a 6-year period, an expected taxi service life. The on-road taxi data were sparse; measured as average speeds for one minute periods. They were integrated with a second set of on-road driving data from a study with a Tesla Model S 70D. These Tesla data had one second temporal resolution, featuring speeds, temperatures and battery power draws. The on-road taxi data were partitioned into segments, and scaled to data from a corresponding regime from the Tesla tests, producing power draw and driving speed at one second resolution, for the battery simulation. The simulation implemented an equivalent circuit representation of an EV battery, derived from discharge curves of its constituent cells. A capacity fade model developed and validated from literature data allowed investigation of long term vehicle performance. Simulations showed that with overnight recharging only, the 1-shift taxi met 89% of the driving schedule. With mid-shift recharging and as-needed depleted state charging, both types of taxis achieved over 98 % of driving targets during the 6-year vehicle life. Per scenario, after six years, the 1-shift taxi had 67-75% of the original battery capacity, while the 2-shift had 44-49%. Battery degradation mainly depended on total driving distance and was less impacted by charging rate. These initial forecasts are part of a broader project that also indicates favorable economics, leading to a forthcoming second phase of research involving on-road tests with EVs partnered with Canadian taxi operators.