Volkswagen Milano Concept: An Electric Taxi For The Near Future?

This week, Volkswagen is making news about their plans to produce electric vehicles. The automaker expects to launch their first production EV’s in 2013. At the Hannover Messe 2010, an energy and industry trade show, Volkswagen unveiled the Milano Taxi concept. The intent is to show Volkswagen is not just thinking about individual mobility, but how their vehicles might be adapted for public transportation uses. The Milano is the latest vehicle we’ve seen to join the taxi craze in the auto industry.

The Milano’s design is influenced by the 2007 Space Up! Blue concept. The interior has been given a major rework and VW has integrated some interesting ideas. To promote safety, passengers can only enter and leave the vehicle on the curb side. “One door less is all the more for a taxi,” is what Walter de Silva, Head of Design for the Volkswagen Group remarked about the decision to remove the rear driver’s side door. The design team developed a new hinge mechanism for the passenger door allowing it to swing forward creating a wide and tall opening. The glass paneled roof of the vehicle takes inspiration from the Volkswagen Samba Bus of the 1950′s. The open roof provides lots of light in the passenger area during the day and allows for panoramic viewing of urban architecture.

Inside the Milano, the designers moved the trunk from the back to the front. There are a couple of reasons for this. The front passenger seat is the least used in most cabs so it is basically wasted space. Removing the seat and creating a space for luggage and packages means passengers don’t have to walk to the back to load items. By shifting space forward, passengers in the Milano get a lot of legroom. The amount is comparable to a luxury sedan.

The Milano Taxi is driven by an electric motor and has a top speed of 74mph. Energy comes from a lithium-ion battery integrated into the vehicles underbody. Depending on driving style, the Milano has an estimated range of 186 miles. The storage battery can readily be recharged to up to 80 percent of its total capacity in just over one hour.

[via autoblog green]
Volkswagen