Job prospects as demand for electric taxis is ramping up
A FIRM which is making all-electric taxis on the edge of Coventry has revealed plans to create highly skilled engineering jobs as part of its growth plans.
Dynamo Motor Company produces the world’s only 100% electric zero emission black cab in the world at its factory on Bayton Road, Exhall.
As the company emerges from the effects of the lockdown it is already ramping-up orders for its vehicle as cities across the UK look to improve air quality and cut CO2 emissions from vehicles.
The company’s latest initiative has seen it work with Coventry City Council to provide three of its Dynamo taxis to be tried out by Coventry cabbies.
The deal forms part of the city council’s ‘Electric Fleet First’ campaign.
Drivers can register for a ‘try before you buy’ period using a fully electric vehicle.
The Dynamo Motor Company has also won a tender from the Welsh Government to provide 50 taxis as part of a drive to deliver its clean air targets.
The company is still relatively new, having launched in October 2019.
Its Dynamo taxi is made in association with Nissan, being based on the Japanese car maker’s E-NV200 MPV EV.
Most of the vehicles it has produced so far have ended up in London but with the increased pressure from authorities nationwide to install clean air zones - Birmingham’s begins in June this year - it is finding demand is increasing as the country moves gradually out of lockdown.
Part of the company’s growth will also see it taking on new staff in highly skilled engineering roles.
A spokesman for the company said it was entering a period of “rapid growth” and planned a recruitment drive in the near future.
The company’s founder and managing director Brendan O’toole spoke to Coventrylive.
He said: “We made a conscious decision that when lockdown measures were going to be relaxed, for us to get busy again our best bet was to approach local government authorities around the UK and for them to reignite their carbon reduction policies.”
Mr O’toole said he was confident the company would continue to grow, that 2021 is shaping-up to be a busy year and told of his confidence in the product.
“Taxi drivers who sample our product usually end up buying it,” he said.
“But to get people to sample it that ties in nicely with an initiative from a local authority or regional government.
“The Welsh Government, who are keen to promote pure electric taxis, decided to satisfy that desire for people wanting to try it by placing an order for 50 taxis.
“Drivers can try one for a month and then decide whether they want to buy one.
“The savings are when it comes to fuel.
“We now also have taxis in Liverpool, Nottingham and Coventry and this will continue throughout the UK for sure.
“The more people who try the vehicle the more we are going to sell.”
As far as jobs are concerned Mr incredible
O’toole said there was no doubt the company would be creating many highly skilled and there will be a recruitment drive, something for which plans are still being formulated.
“This time last year we had a recruitment day,” he said.
“We were not able to offer employment because Covid hit but we are ramping-up again and hopefully some of those people who showed an interest will contact us again.”
Mr O’toole said that last year the company had looked at taking on around 30 people.
He said: “Yes, we will be employing people and want to see people who have an interest at getting on the electric vehicle career ladder.
“We will be recruiting in just about every department.
“We are dealing with new ground - this is a new era.
“All those people who jump in with us now are helping to shape a cleaner future.”
Mr O’toole also described Coventry as “a great taxi city” and welcomes the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) being on the edge of Coventry too.
He said: “There are several people who are doing this - the main one being LEVC who have thousands of vehicles on the roads.
“There’s a choice there and there’s a market for both.
“I believe all of Coventry’s taxi makers are going to see a bounce and be very busy.”
A NEW task force of Coventrians put together by the City of Culture team have said they hope to “help put Coventry on the map.”
Eight Coventry residents have been chosen to help make sure their neighbourhoods are connected and involved with the City of Culture celebrations.
It is less than three months until the city kicks off its City of Culture celebrations, with a billed opening ceremony called ‘Coventry Moves’ due to take place on May 15.
The Connectors have shared their hopes that their involvement in the programme will help “put Coventry on the map”, “connect people” and “provide recognition for their local area.”
The group will benefit from specialist training, mentoring and networking, delivered by 64 Million Artists, which will help them create an event for 2021. Some of the ideas that the group want to develop include celebrating stories from local people, connecting through humour, and creating a mural in Foleshill that reflects its diverse community and features the different languages spoken in the area.
So what is a community connector, and how will they help the city?
We sat down with two of them, Kieran Joseph and Theo Ioannou, to find out exactly what their role is, and how they plan to use it.
“When people think of Coventry 2021 City of Culture they think of it as a big gimmick, or a PR thing, what people need to understand is that it is a city made of many people like a jigsaw people, so for me being part of this programme, I feel like I’ve been enriched and empowered to be better.” Kieran Joseph said.
Mr Joseph has been chosen as a community champion for the South East of Coventry, and Theo Ioannou has been chosen to represent the city centre.
Ms Ioannou said: “It’s eight community connectors, eight different people from Coventry who have been community champions who have created organisations or tried to uplift their local community.
“This is the biggest project that I’ve been involved in and help me establish the work that I have been doing.”
Ms Ioannou previously worked with refugees and migrants who speak English as a second language, and said that the programme has helped her formalise her plans for the community.
“The more that I’m part of this programme I’m understanding more of its purpose I think that what they’re trying to do is to create something that’s bigger and ask for funding” she said.
Mr Joseph echoed this, saying that they are being equipped with skills like budgeting, finance and project management to make a bigger impact on their communities.
Chris Rolls, from 64 Million Artists, said: “The passion and commitment of the people of Coventry is inspiring and this programme is aimed at helping Community Connectors activate their creativity and skills through shows, events and activities which will inspire and engage people across the city.”
Mr Joseph’s project is called Guardian Ballers Life Stories, a basketball and mental health project which has a focus on mental and emotional well-being of children and young people aged 11 to 18.
The former Barr’s Hill School teacher said that being on the programme will help him ensure that the stories of local Coventry residents feature in the project.
“It’s something I’m passionate about as someone with mixed race and Black Caribbean heritage, it’s in my DNA.”
He went on: “I would recommend to people to think of their community before 2021, because all 2021 is trying to do is piece together those individual communities, I’ve realised it’s about me as a small part of the population, and I’m just part of the jigsaw puzzle piece that goes into the bigger picture.”
Mr Joseph was born in Cardiff but said the community connector programme is a real mix: “The people within the community connectors, [there’s] quite a few people are born and bred in Coventry, the
It’s eight community connectors, eight different people from Coventry who have been community champions... Theo Ioannou
amazing thing about me and Theo is we’re not born and bred in Coventry, the power of that is mobilising people who are now calling Coventry home.”
Ms Ioannou’s cultural project will coincide with Refugee Week, and she said she hopes the programme will help her make better connections with similar organisations so she can put on future events. She said it’s an opportunity to involve everyone outside of the “very specific group” that might normally be represented in arts and culture.
She said: “I feel like it really is uplifting, it’s not perfect, nothing is perfect, but it really is uplifting communities and people, just different things that I hear.
“There’s so many people now, creatives, who are creating a lot of opportunities who are already here.”
And how will this create a legacy for the city? Mr Joseph replied: “If you go to London now, the legacies of 2012 Olympics remain.
“The parallel of legacy in what’s going to happen with 2021, there will be something that things remain, we’re being encouraged to be part of this project, but empowered to journey into the future.”
Ms Ioannou replied: “[We’re] interested in making Coventry a city that everybody can be proud of.”
The Community Connectors programme will see Boyanka Bobeva, Emilie Jones, Kelly Walsh, Kevin Conway, Kieran Joseph, Mel Gregory,
Priya Gondalia and Theo Ioannou, each work towards creating their own artistic community event.
Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “We always wanted our City of Culture programme to take place in every neighbourhood of the city, created with, by and for local citizens. The stories and cultures of Coventry need to come from our grassroots communities, so we’re thrilled to be able to work with and support our new team of Community Connectors.
“They already have some fantastic ideas to develop and will be able to share lots of different perspectives on their experiences of living in Coventry and their hopes for our city’s future.”
A COVENTRY Market trader who started his business out the back of his van has said he has accepted he will have to “start again” to survive until non-essential shops return.
Maverick Flavours is an American Candy business, run by couple Alex Ricardo and Leigh Holmes.
The stall has humble beginnings, starting out as a mobile shop in the back of their van.
Their offerings of American sweets, cakes, drinks and cereals became so popular, that 18 months ago they made the move into Coventry Market.
But just as footfall and walk-in custom improved, the country was plunged into lockdown as the pandemic spread.
The shop has an online Instagram following of 40,000, but building a real life customer base has been an extraordinary challenge. Alex Ricardo filled Coventrylive in on how they plan to make a comeback.
Following the announcement on the roadmap out of lockdown, all non-essential shops should be able to re-open on April 12.
“I never knew the specific date we just take each day that it comes, when we found out there’s a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, we can prepare ourselves to go back into the market.
“Realistically we’re going to have to start again, we’re going to have to restart it all, how successful will it be this time, are there actually going to be people coming to the market?” Alex Ricardo said.
He said they are going to proceed with caution as they gear up for April 12: “It’s good and it’s bad, we don’t know how long it’s going to be for, are the public going to be out and about shopping? We will be prepared fully with all the Covid rules.
Maverick Flavours has 40,000 followers on Instagram, but envisage a tough road ahead in returning to connect with real life customers at Coventry Market.
“We’re trying to hit the market that’s not on social media, our 40k followers are pretty much in the Coventry and West
Midlands area, people know what we’re about and what we do, but I’m just wary that the general footfall of that market, is there going be people coming about like they used to? What am I going to be like in the future, am I going to still have a shop or will it be online only?
“It’s very strange, we started as a small idea back of the van type of job then my living room.”
We spoke to various businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire following the roadmap announcement.
For some, like Cat Ballou school uniform shop, they saw a surge in online traffic to their school uniform shop site.
For others, like Leamington restaurant We Love Pizza, it was a case of feeling “pushed to the back of the queue again.”
The national lockdown was a blow for all of the market traders, many of whom are deemed nonessential and had to close.
It had such an impact, that a petition calling for help for traders at Coventry Market “stuck in a dead zone” was taken straight to the government earlier this month.
It came after we published a number of articles outlining the difficulties faced by traders.
One business, Baguette Bakery, has been locked out of government support because, as a takeaway, they are considered essential and so are not entitled to financial help.
But footfall at the market has plummeted - meaning a huge drop in customers.
And Maria’s Bakery is in an identical position. Owner Jerone Smith described the city centre as a “dead zone” and said takings are down by between 70 and 80 per cent.
Mr Ricardo echoed those concerns listed out by other market traders, saying: “We take each day as it comes, we’ve just got to crack on, I’ve got two kids to support and pay the rent, and keep us living as a family.”
He went on: “We’re still being charged rent at the market when we’re not there, I’ve got to take out what I’m earning.”
The stall have got a business grant as they are self employed, and they launched a delivery system and app, but Mr Ricardo said that serious support is needed for market traders when they return on April 12.
He plans for Maverick Flavours to make a sweet comeback, but it has not been easy and not everyone will pull through to April.
“We’re going to do as much as we possibly can, I hope this is the end, start getting back to some normality and look for the future now, I’m a young dad it’s not been a life for them at all, everyone has been stuck inside.
“I know a lot of people that haven’t survived and have had to shut their business down, I hope to God that we get back to some life.”