RCA team helps develop all-electric London taxi proposal

The Royal College of Art's Vehicle Design program and the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design have collaboratedwith Turkish car manufacturer Karsan to develop a proposal for the first all-electric London taxi.

An RCA team – co-led by Professor Dale Harrow and the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design's deputy director Rama Gheerawo – has been working with Karsan and its consultancy Hexagon Studio for over a year and to develop a public transport vehicle to suit Londoners of all ages and abilities.

The team analyzed a current London taxi in a ‘co-creation workshop' and conducted interviews with taxi drivers, which showed many are over 65 and frequently spend the entire working day inside their cabs.

Gheerawo says while drivers spend long hours in an environment that doesn't provide the necessary comfort, passengers – who spend very little time in the cab – have different physical and mental needs.

"Although the current London cab is one of the few purpose-built taxis in the world, the design is now two decades old and is badly in need of modernization," Gheerawo explains. "As designers, we believe it is crucial that we take into consideration the needs of both taxi drivers and passengers of all ages and abilities."

Any new vehicles need to be more eco-friendly and sustainable than current models, but must maintain the iconic look of a London black cab, regardless of what color it's painted.

All new cabs have to meet specific Public Carriage Office (PCO) requirements, which include having 'reasonable' luggage space, a left-sided passenger door and a 25ft turning circle.

The RCA, together with Karsan and Hexagon Studio, will now concentrate on developing five key areas including: making the driver's area more comfortable and functional; making the passenger's area more flexible and optimizing it for short journeys; incorporating new technology into the driver interface; maintaining the iconic look for drivers and tourists and redesigning the door aperture to make access easier.

This research builds on Karsan and Hexagon Studio's Concept V1 prototype vehicle, which made the shortlist for the 2011 New York Taxi of Tomorrow competition. The Turkish manufacturer presented a revised prototype last June at the London Motor Expo to gauge reactions for a London-specific design and explore future opportunities.

The Karsan cab is expected to go on sale in early 2016.

By Rufus Thompson