Leaf as taxi/shuttle

[tattoogunman]

Is anyone on here operating their Leaf as a taxi or shuttle? I'm kicking around an idea and was wanting to talk to people who may be doing this. I'm aware of the Leaf's limitations and my idea involves extremely limited distances, so range shouldn't be an issue for what I'm looking at.

[jake14mw]

Which Leaf do you have? I can't imagine being able to use a 24kw model as a taxi/shuttle, given how often you would need to charge it. Also, there is not much cargo room, and while the back seat is not tiny, I would not want it as my taxi or shuttle ride.

[cwerdna]

I can't imagine being able to use a 24kw model as a taxi/shuttle, given how often you would need to charge it. Also, there is not much cargo room, and while the back seat is not tiny, I would not want it as my taxi or shuttle ride.

Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not "kw".

Long ago, there was this pilot program in NYC: http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/news/i ... gram.shtml and https://jalopnik.com/5870585/the-nissan ... ewest-taxi. They had two Leafs each share one medallion.

I've seen that some folks use Leafs as Uber or Lyft vehicles, from the Plugshare check ins. They probably were using Nissan NCTC. However, it'd probably not a great idea if one wants to do it as a full-time job due to the all the lost revenue from having to divert to charge and wait.

[RonDawg]

Which Leaf do you have? I can't imagine being able to use a 24kw model as a taxi/shuttle, given how often you would need to charge it. Also, there is not much cargo room, and while the back seat is not tiny, I would not want it as my taxi or shuttle ride.

I don't know what you mean by "not much cargo room" as the trunk is only about 1 cubic foot smaller than that of a Prius (based on a quick Google search), and at least here in SoCal that's a popular car for taxi fleets, particularly as Crown Vics start to disappear (Ford stopped production of them over 6 years ago).

Unless this is going to be used as an airport taxi service, that's sufficient. That said, my own Leaf swallowed up a big suitcase, and my carry-ons, on trips to the airport, though I would have to fold the back seat down if I wanted to do so for a second person.

Range especially if the car has no QC port is going to be more of an issue, but if the OP only needs to shuttle people for a short distance then it's not a problem especially if he can charge between uses.

[LeftieBiker]

I don't know what you mean by "not much cargo room" as the trunk is only about 1 cubic foot smaller than that of a Prius

Third generation Pruises are popular cabs in part because there is no rear liftover barrier to easily and repeatedly loading and unloading cargo. I don't know about the 4th gen Prius, but the Leaf definitely has a liftover problem.

[RonDawg]

I don't know what you mean by "not much cargo room" as the trunk is only about 1 cubic foot smaller than that of a Prius

Third generation Pruises are popular cabs in part because there is no rear liftover barrier to easily and repeatedly loading and unloading cargo. I don't know about the 4the gen Prius, but the Leaf definitely has a liftover problem.

I don't think liftover height is a big deciding factor for taxi fleets, based on the number of Ford Escape Hybrids I've seen as taxis especially in the NYC area. They're popular because 1. they're relatively affordable, and 2. they get terrific fuel mileage. Taxis, like cop cars, sit idling for long periods of time waiting for passengers, only difference is one's passengers are voluntary, the other's isn't

The liftover of the Leaf is more due to the deep well; if you use Nissan's cargo organizer, or make your own as a few people here have, it's no worse than a small SUV. But then having that false floor cuts into the Leaf's cargo area, especially due to the way the hatch door is shaped.

[SageBrush]

Is anyone on here operating their Leaf as a taxi or shuttle? I'm kicking around an idea and was wanting to talk to people who may be doing this. I'm aware of the Leaf's limitations and my idea involves extremely limited distances, so range shouldn't be an issue for what I'm looking at.

If range (and presumably charging) is not an issue then you should be talking to local cabbies.

[SageBrush]

I find the hatch area in the LEAF to be markedly inferior to our Prius and even our Prius Prime, but that reflects the sort of stuff I want to haul. Perhaps it is OK for suitcases.

[RonDawg]

I find the hatch area in the LEAF to be markedly inferior to our Prius and even our Prius Prime, but that reflects the sort of stuff I want to haul. Perhaps it is OK for suitcases.

The deep well of the Leaf's cargo area is both an advantage and a disadvantage. If you have "boxy" things that can otherwise fit in that area, you can put fairly large items like that suitcase I mentioned. I can put two such suitcases in my Leaf, but not in the eGolf without having to fold the back seat down.

But large flat-ish objects that already require the seat to be folded are a bit of a pain unless you can find something to support it over the well, like a false floor or some other object.

[SageBrush]

I find the hatch area in the LEAF to be markedly inferior to our Prius and even our Prius Prime, but that reflects the sort of stuff I want to haul. Perhaps it is OK for suitcases.

The deep well of the Leaf's cargo area is both an advantage and a disadvantage. If you have "boxy" things that can otherwise fit in that area, you can put fairly large items like that suitcase I mentioned. I can put two such suitcases in my Leaf, but not in the eGolf without having to fold the back seat down.

But large flat-ish objects that already require the seat to be folded are a bit of a pain unless you can find something to support it over the well, like a false floor or some other object.

I think the issue is more the wheel wells that leave less available width. Length is OK and of course height is superior.