Taxis

Toyota has been developing an electric Hilux pickup in Thailand for over a year, and the prototype has now been turned into a slick, little passenger-mover. Like a classic Land Cruiser Troopy, the new mini-bus seats two rows of passengers in back.

China's first fully autonomous, commercial robotaxi rides – with no safety drivers – are about to open for public passengers in Wuhan and Chongqing, marking an inflection point for one of the key technological revolutions of the 21st century.

A fully autonomous, commercial robo-taxi service with no backup drivers is about to launch in San Francisco, after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued its first-ever Driverless Deployment Permit to GM subsidiary Cruise.

​Last July, the London EV Company unveiled an electric makeover for the iconic London black cab. The TX eCity taxi was certified to carry passengers in the UK's capital last month and the first vehicle out of the dealership has now been handed over to a London cabby.​

​Uber recently announced it will be buying as estimated 24,000 premium SUVs from Volvo between 2019 and 2021. In a plan set to dramatically disrupt the world’s automotive market, Uber will fit the SUVs with its own autonomous driving technology and then send them out onto the road.

The London black taxi is getting a 21st century makeover. The London EV Company has unveiled the hybrid TX for eco-minded cabbies. It might look similar to the black cabs you're used to, but the TX should be kinder to drivers' wallets and the environment.

What is thought to be the world's first public trial of a self-driving taxi service has begun in Singapore, pipping Uber and Volvo to the post. For the trial, a group of the city-state's residents can use a ride-hailing smartphone app to book free taxi journeys in one of the firm's autonomous cars.

Based on Nissan’s NV200 platform and redesigned by Nissan's European design center in Paddington, London's updated black cabs not only sport a fresh look but also promise cleaner transport for the city, with the old diesel engines giving way to 1.6-liter petrol and all-electric drivetrains.

One problem with electric taxis is the amount of time that their batteries can take to recharge. With the EVA taxi, however, that isn't a problem. The prototype vehicle can reportedly get enough of a charge in 15 minutes to travel 200 km (124 mi).

Toyota will also be premiering a next-generation taxi concept at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show. Although it bears more than a passing resemblance to London's iconic black cabs, Toyota says the JPN Taxi Concept has been created with Japanese hospitality in mind.

Well, it’s official: this is the future. It must be, as the Nissan NV200-based Taxi of Tomorrow is now being manufactured. The vehicle marks the culmination of a project in which taxi drivers, owners and passengers were asked to submit ideas for what features should go into a purpose-built NYC taxi.

The City of New York is trying out six all-electric Nissan LEAFs in its taxi fleet.