Greenlots Enables Electrification of Columbus Yellow Cab’s Fleet in Central Ohio
Since 1928, Yellow Cab of Columbus has continuously improved its taxicab fleet to offer reliable transportation in Central Ohio. In 2019, Yellow Cab decided to make its fleet to 100% electric and tapped into Greenlots’ expertise in planning, deploying and managing networks of fast-charging installations for electric vehicles (EVs). To start, Greenlots mapped Yellow Cab’s busiest routes and designed a network of private and publicly-available charging points to ensure the taxicabs never run out of power. The Greenlots team also applied its proprietary, cloud-based, enterprise-grade software platform that seamlessly manages activities between the grid and the EVs, helping Yellow Cab keep their EVs charged, manage costs and track savings on fuel over gasoline vehicles. By helping this 92-year-old business step into the future of more affordable, zero-emissions transportation, Greenlots demonstrated how its industry-leading software is unlocking the potential of EV fleets and changing the face of mobility.
Press Release: Greenlots Enables Further Electrification of Columbus Yellow Cab’s Fleet in Central Ohio
The companies will deploy new fast-charging infrastructure at both depot and in-route locations in Columbus and the surrounding area
LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenlots, a Shell New Energies subsidiary and leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy management solutions, announced today that it is working with Columbus Yellow Cab (Yellow Cab) to install public DC fast charging (DCFC) stations at Yellow Cab's depot facility and along several heavily trafficked routes throughout central Ohio. To date, Yellow Cab has been charging its EV fleet with Level 2 charging infrastructure, limiting the number of miles each vehicle can drive per day due to long charging times. By deploying DCFC stations backed by Greenlots' award-winning network operating platform, Yellow Cab's operators can significantly decrease charging times, monitor their fleet in real time and increase the utilization of each clean vehicle on the road.
"The electrification of fleets will play a pivotal role in transforming our transportation system," said Brett Hauser, CEO of Greenlots. "Our innovative charging technology offers fleet owners a simple, scalable solution to maximize the benefits of going electric, including maintenance and fuel cost savings and increased operational efficiency. Columbus Yellow Cab shares Greenlots' pioneering vision for an electric mobility future; through our work together, we hope to make EV taxis the norm in the years ahead."
Founded in 1928, Yellow Cab has been doing business in Ohio for 91 years and is a longstanding pillar of the local community. To give back to the community where their business has grown, Yellow Cab is leveraging Greenlots' expertise in deploying and managing high-powered EV charging solutions to bring DCFC stations to its own depot facility and additional publicly accessible in-route locations throughout Columbus and central Ohio. These chargers, backed by Greenlots' SKY™ EV Charging Network Software, will allow Yellow Cab to sustainably expand its electrified fleet and provide fast, easily-accessible charging infrastructure for Ohio drivers to promote local EV adoption.
"Our fleet drives over ten million miles per year in the Columbus area, and because of this we feel that it is our company's responsibility to help the community take serious steps towards electrified transportation," said Morgan Kauffman, CEO and owner, Columbus Yellow Cab. "With this project, we're showing local residents that EVs are a viable substitution for traditional internal combustion vehicles and challenging them to rethink their transportation decisions. If we can go electric, so can many other daily drivers across Ohio. Greenlots has been instrumental in allowing us to provide this service through their turnkey offering. Planning, deployment and management are made seamless with their help."
Locations for the public chargers are being strategically selected through a collaborative project between Yellow Cab and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in which 70 million GPS data points are collected and analyzed to discover optimal charging locations. With these new stations, local EV drivers will have access to affordable and convenient fast charging infrastructure that won't disrupt grid operations. Yellow Cab's work in central Ohio has been made possible through close collaboration with Smart Columbus, a U.S. Department of Transportation-funded smart cities initiative for the region.
The project is also part of an existing AEP Ohio incentive program to build 300 Level 2 and 75 Level 3/DCFC public EV charging stations in the region.