As he explained to “Peloponnisos” the president of the Association of Taxi Owners Giorgos Siderismost professional motorists still have reservations mainly regarding the autonomy of the vehicles, despite the fact that the subsidy is particularly generous.
However, George Alexopoulos, a young professional motorist originally from Fostaina of Achaia, he has no doubts. He continues the work of his father, who was also a taxi driver and decided to switch from Diesel technology to electric propulsion, with a Tesla Model 3 in its latest version (Highland), which he likened to a robot.
George Alexopoulos, one of the first electric taxi drivers
He got his hands on the new car two weeks ago and still can’t believe it. “The previous taxi I drove was a Nissan Primera. I feel like the first driver of a diesel car in a world where others still drive horse-drawn carriages,” said George to describe the technological leap he made.
He opened the door of his new taxi for us and gave us details of the automations offered by this particular vehicle. Practically everything is done through the vehicle’s giant screen, while testing the autopilot at the Great Perimeter, he declared that he was excited by the autopilot, which, however, still has limitations in Greece due to the incomplete delineation and marking of the roads.
“I tried to take a selfie while driving by turning my face and the car started beeping. If you’re driving at low speed you practically don’t need to brake, you just release the accelerator pedal and the car brakes itself,” he told us regarding some of the many technological features.
The first thing we asked him was whether electrification serves a professional driver. He emphasized that with a full charge it covers all the routes in Patras without any problems.
With its driving style, the vehicle has a range of approximately 350 km. It is sufficient for a taxi in the city, he said, even if he works 16 hours a day. Only at noon when he goes home to rest, recharges it for a while and continues. Besides, charging at an external charger is still quite expensive, from 38 to 53 minutes per kilowatt hour.
“Even so, it is beneficial. In the previous diesel taxi I had, I collected 1,200 euros monthly and 550 were expenses for oil. I was paying my rent and wondering, do I work the streets 15 hours a day for 200-300 euro profit? I felt that I was working for the profits of the oil companies and for the taxes of the state. Half the money I earned went to the flag.”
Now he treats his colleagues, with compassion, for the profits that go to the gas stations, unlike him, who stays almost all in his pocket.
And the customers? They are going crazy, he told us. They say they got into a Tesla and ask him for the card so they can call him whenever they need him on the phone. It’s a type of marketing. When his other colleagues have made a turnover of 10 euros, he now reaches 100 euros. He looks down on even the most popular taxi brand.
The purchase price of the electric taxi reached 52,500 euros, but be careful. Without the state subsidy of 22,500 euros. In practice, when the subsidy is paid, together with the VAT refund of 10,000 euros, the new taxi will have cost him only 20,000 euros.
“The thousand benefits the professional drivers. I feel like a pioneer and I’m trying to build a clientele. Even with a loan, it’s worth it. You put 500-600 euros in installments at the beginning and as soon as the subsidy comes, you give it to the agency and you have a small balance of installments of around 200 euros,” said Giorgos Alexopoulos, happy for his choice.
At the same time, a colleague of his bought a medium-sized diesel SUV, but he doesn’t put on the air-conditioning, unless the customer asks him to, so he doesn’t burn fuel. “It’s regarding going crazy. Give 27,000 euros and think regarding turning on the air conditioning, which in mine never turns off.”
The only minus for now is that the purchase and maintenance of the car is only served in Athens, but this will also be resolved in the future. Zero service costs, since it has no mechanical parts, only the tires, which are very expensive. They are up to 450 euros each, because they have to be top-of-the-line, because of the accelerations and the electric motors.
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