Seoul ready to subsidise 700 electric taxis
The government of the South Korean capital Seoul is promoting the purchase of 700 electric taxis this year. The subsidy amounts to 18.2 million won (about €13,600) per electric taxi. A new feature is that electric cars from foreign manufacturers are also eligible for funding this year.
Last year, only electric taxis from the Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia were subsidized; to be precise, the Hyundai models Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric and the Kia models e-Niro and e-Soul.
This year, taxi companies in the South Korean metropolis can choose from 19 models from seven manufacturers. These now include the Model S and Model 3 from Tesla, the Jaguar I-Pace and the Nissan Leaf.
At 18.2 million won, the subsidy for electric taxis is higher than that for private customers, who receive 12.7 million won when buying an electric car. The city justifies this with the taxis’ high mileage of up to 440 kilometres per day: “Changing them into electric cars can significantly improve air quality,” Korean media quotes a city official.
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