No need to plug in cables – two cities get e-taxis that charge wirelessly


In Vienna and Graz more and more purely electrically powered taxis should be on the road – and they should be able to charge their batteries at the taxi stand via a plate in the floor. The chauffeur does not have to get out of the car to pull the plug out of the socket.

In the next two years, a total of eight taxi stands and 56 vehicles in Vienna will be retrofitted with the so-called “Matrix Charging Technology” developed by Easelink; in Graz there will be two stands with ten vehicles. Instead of connecting the electric car to the charging point with a cable, the vehicle, equipped with a so-called connector on the underbody, is connected to a charging plate at the taxi stand at the push of a button.

With this automated charging system directly at the stands, the e-taxis are automatically charged without having to leave the vehicle or go to an e-filling station. “This project is internationally unique and is playing a pioneering role in the mobility transition in large cities,” announced the Chamber of Commerce. From 2025 at the latest, only taxis with emission-free drives should be allowed in Austria.

“We are creating an international lighthouse project that can change urban traffic over the long term. Vienna is a model climate city and is leading the way here as a first mover. The entire city and its residents will benefit from the change to an electric taxi fleet in Vienna. We are reducing emissions and improving both the background noise and the air quality in our beautiful city, ”said Finance and Economic City Councilor Peter Hanke about this project.

Wien Energie is building and operating the charging infrastructure in Vienna. In the future, e-taxis will only charge electricity from renewable energies.

The project, funded by the Climate and Energy Fund as part of the “Zero Emission Mobility Implementation” program, will last until mid-2024 and should serve as a basis for further mobility change.