Tayside taxi driver happy and quids in after going electric

North Fife-based taxi owner David Bayne of Tayport Taxis recently took the plunge and bought an electric car.

“This is the first electric vehicle that we have gone with, and I hope to run with more in the future,” David said.

“I went electric for a number of reasons. The cost of diesel and petrol is only getting higher and there are a lot of incentives for going electric from the government, including the Plug-in Vehicle Grant and the Scottish Government’s interest-free Electric Vehicle Loan.

“Charging stations are easy to find, and there are websites which not only show you where the charging stations are, but also if they are in use at the time.

“I decided on the MG ZS EV because it’s a beautiful vehicle and nice to drive. The team at Mackie Motors were really good and looked after me right the way through. It’s also one of the best-priced electric vehicles on the road.”

David benefited from £3,500 off the price of the car through the OLEV Plug-in Vehicle Grant. He also took advantage of the Electric Vehicle Loan which is delivered on behalf of Transport Scotland through the Energy Saving Trust.

The UK Government recently announced plans to bring forward a ban on petrol and diesel car sales to 2035.

The fully electric MG ZS EV comes with a seven-year warranty and has a range of 163 miles.

The ZS EV, like most electric vehicles, can be recharged at home on a standard charger in seven hours, or if you’re out and about it can be rapid charged to 80% in just 40 minutes.

There are more than 11,000 locations with public charge points installed across the UK including a growing network of free-to-use public charge points available across Scotland through Chargeplace Scotland.

Zap-map provide lots of great tools including a map of charging locations and a route planning app (available on IOS and Android smart devices).

David Bayne with his electric MG ZS.