Jaguar will supply I-Pace EVs for Norway's new wirelessly-charged taxi service
The 25 wireless I-Pace models will hit the streets of Oslo this year.
The world’s first high-powered wireless taxis will roll out in the Norwegian capital of Oslo later this year, with the support of Jaguar Land Rover. The project, named ElectriCity, also involves Nordic taxi firm Cabonline, Norway’s largest charge point operator Fortum Recharge, and US tech developer Momentum Dynamics.
Jaguar will provide Cabonline with 25 I-Pace models for the initiative. The charging network is being specially designed so that taxi drivers can charge up without going off-route. As such, multiple charging points, at 50-75kW each, will be installed in the ground at various pick-up and drop-off points, allowing each taxi to charge while queuing for the next fare. There are no cables or physical connectors involved — charging happens automatically. This means taxis get multiple charges throughout the day, and can be returned to the rank with juice to spare, so there aren’t any driving range restrictions.
The initiative ticks a lot of boxes for those involved. Jaguar, which has recently given the I-Pace an update for 2021, has long since committed to EV innovation. Plus, it’s already partnered with transit companies in the past to push the EV agenda — last year it teamed up with Waymo, for example. Meanwhile, the city of Oslo is working on making its cab system emission free by 2024, while Norway has mandated that all new cars sold in the country by 2025 are zero emission in order to fulfil a wider target of countrywide carbon neutrality by 2030.
Update 06/25 10:33 ET: This article has been updated to indicate that the ElectriCity project will launch later this year and not in 2024 as previously stated.
