Since the congestion charge, there has been less traffic in London, but imagine how the city would feel if every black cab were powered purely by electric. There will be no noisy old diesel engines or oily fumes and the smoke would practically disappear (with the exception of buses!).

EcoVelocity, the organisers of the carbon motor show which will be held in London from 8th September, has worked out that an impressive 4,000 of the greenhouse gas CO2 could be eliminated from London’s atmosphere every week. The calculation was based on London’s 22,000 registered black cabs with UK taxi insurance. EcoVelocity suggested that this figure would be tripled if the 48,000 private hire minicabs in London also went pure electric.

EcoVelocity says that black cabs account for 20% of the 80% of airborne pollution in central London which road transport is responsible for. The study was based on cabbies travelling in their black cabs an average daily mileage of 120 miles.

In London last year, a prototype pure-electric Mercedes Benz Vito people carrier went on trial, with a range of just 75 miles, which is not nearly enough for the average cabbie doing 120 miles a day. Therefore, as it’s unlikely that a single charge would get a cabbie through the day, it needs to be clear where and how the black cabs would be recharged.

New York currently has a huge order for 13,000 electric taxis/vans, which could hit the road by 2017. In 1899, New York once had the biggest fleet of electric taxis in the world. The idea of electric taxis is catching on in urban areas.

The EcoVelocity Show will be held between the 8th-11th September 2011 at the Battersea Power Station. The show will have environmentally friendly vehicles for visitors to look at and it promises to be one of the largest car shows of 2011. Manufacturers include Volkswagen, Volvo, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, SEAT, Vauxhall, Lexus and Mia Electric.