The first two Nissan Leaf electric taxis licensed in Brazil started service this week in São Paulo city.
Nissan, however, had greater ambition and wanted more of the public services fleet in the largest Brazilian capital of 11m inhabitants and 5m vehicles) to migrate from conventional powertrains.
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But some laws prevented that, as did the high prices of EVs. The automaker wanted tax cuts and even subsidies, making authorities’ decisions even harder.
Eventually, Nissan’s Brazilian subsidiary chose to import the Leafs but lease rather than sell them to two cab companies. A test fleet of 15 units will be trialled until 2013.
Since distances within São Paulo are fairly high, the electric cars lack the range needed for some trips. They depend on a number of fast-recharging stations promised by the city’s utility company.
It took a year to get this EV taxi service running and the vehicles really are far from suitable for this kind of service.
A Nissan Brazil official told just-auto there are no current plans to include a Leaf assembly line at the automaker’s new, US$1.5bn plant under construction in the neighbouring state of Rio de Janeiro.
“But it may be so in future,” he said, without elaborating.
