Bjørn Nyland Interviews A Kia e-Niro (Niro EV) Taxi Driver

This taxi driver has made the switch from a Toyota Prius to an Opel Ampera-e and Kia e-Niro.

Kia Niro EV taxi trunk

Wade Malone

By: Wade Malone

Jun 10, 2019 at 1:24am ET

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Youtuber Bjørn Nyland recently returned home from a trip to Japan and like any good EV driver, requested that his taxi from the airport be an electric. When Martin Furmyr arrived in his new Kia e-Niro (Niro EV) taxi cab, Bjørn was not going to miss the opportunity to ask him about his experience.

More About The Kia e-Niro (Niro EV)

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Martin has been a taxi driver for 30 years and he's been driving on electric power for the past 2 years. When he decided to switch, Martin picked up an Opel Ampera-e (Chevy Bolt EV). While the Ampera-e was very cost effective, the lack of a heat pump meant vehicle range was lacking in the winter.

So this past March, he picked up an e-Niro, and the Ampera-e is now his personal vehicle. Martin realized that the e-Niro would be better suited for his taxi service due to its increased efficiency in winter.

Kia Niro EV Taxi

Prior to the Ampera-e, his vehicle of choice was the Toyota Prius. In comparison to the Prius and non-hybrids, Martin says that with EVs "The economy is much better. With the Prius I paid about €3000-4000 a year in petrol. With this one (e-Niro) it will be below €1000 a year. (...) More profit to me! Normally one percent of what I make a day will go towards power."

Martin says that his typical daily miles are "normally around 200 - 350 km." This is well within the Kia's drivable range, requiring no additional charging.

The one downside of the e-Niro over the Ampera-e is maintenance costs. "On this one, it's 15,000 km. On the Ampera it was 30,000. So this one is more expensive." But both cars have lower maintenance costs than a traditional ICE or hybrid.

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In short, Martin's decision to go electric was a practical one. "I don't care about which (brand) of car I drive. If it's a Kia or it's a Mercedes or Fiat... I want the car that I believe will function for me. That's most important."

Be sure to check out the full interview above.

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