On the road with the ID.4 taxi in Hamburg
“The queen is the only other person to drive
as quietly”
Outside the airport a group of business professionals interrupt their conversation briefly, at the bus stop, youths glance up from their phones, on Mönckebergstraße, a family out for a stroll stops and looks interested. Sitting behind tinted windows, you feel a little bit like you are being watched as you are being driven through Hamburg so quietly. But really there’s only one thing people are interested in: the Volkswagen ID.4, on the road as an electric taxi.
It’s nothing new for Jan Grupe, the ID.4 has been his new workstation since July 2021. But Grupe is aware that his new electric taxi attracts attention. And the joy this brings him is plain to see. After 30 years in the taxi business, and 15 of those as a sole trader, the man from Hamburg is now an enthusiastic all-electric driver. And with his ID.4 taxi is one of the first in Germany.
Quiet journeys in the ID.4: taxi operator Jan Grupe from Hamburg is proud of his first electric taxi. “It’s so cool to drive.”
A taxi attracting so much attention in a major city like Hamburg is a little bit unusual …
Yes, it never used to be like that with other taxis. But the ID.4 has only just been launched. And is a real Hamburg first as a taxi. Mine is the second ID.4 that was available to order as a taxi, by the way – and that’s in the whole of Germany. Now there are quite a few ID.4 electric taxis in Hamburg, but we are pioneers in the Hanseatic city and still enjoy being a rare sight.
How good is an ID.4 as a taxi?
I have driven a lot of models in my time and can say that the ID.4 is an ideal taxi. It’s my workstation, I sit in it for ten hours a day, so it has to be fun and enjoyable as well. And it’s the perfect package. An SUV with a lot of space, easy access, a large boot. And customers are impressed by how spacious the back is. On top of that, the car even looks great as a taxi, which isn’t often the case to be honest.
A good shape, a sporty look, the continuous lighting, the black details, and the interior is minimalist as well – a great design. Even my passengers notice.
What made you decide to go for an electric car as a taxi?
The time had come to get a new car, and it was always going to be an electric car. We had already tested an e-up! privately as a family and our experience with electric mobility was good. So that was settled. However, at that time there was only one model from another manufacturer that had what I needed on the market. Fortunately, the city of Hamburg launched the “Future Taxi” incentive scheme in April. That was how I found out about the collaboration with Volkswagen Automobile Hamburg – and that they were offering the ID.4, which was brand new at the time, as a complete taxi package.
Striking in the Hamburg urban landscape: the ID.4 Taxi. Jan Grupe is one of the first people in Germany to drive a Volkswagen electric taxi. “For me as a taxi operator, there isn’t really an alternative to an electric car.”
From your experience so far, would you say an all-electric taxi is worth it?
When a taxi is reaching the end of its life, it needs a lot of expensive repairs. And I think that I have fewer parts in this car and will need to make fewer repairs. Even just through putting much less strain on the brakes: I mainly drive in B (“brake”) mode in city traffic, which means I am effectively using the brakes in the electric engine. And I am charging the battery at the same time through recuperation. A real benefit in city traffic. And the ID.4 is good value for money. Partly because fuel prices will continue to rise in the near future – for me as a taxi operator, there isn’t really an alternative to an electric car. A good feeling, from an economic perspective as well.
And what is the day to day use like – keyword “filling up”?
Electricity is more practical for me, and is much cheaper. On average, I now spend about fifty percent less in consumption costs for every 100 kilometres. There are a lot of charging stations in Hamburg – if you need to, you can easily find them using an app. But I have an 11 kW wallbox at home. It takes about three hours for me to charge what I need for the day, which I do overnight with no pressure. So now I have a totally new relationship with petrol stations: if the price is more than € 1.40, I smile as I drive past.
Do other aspects come into play when opting for an electric taxi?
I feel more comfortable overall. Being interested in society, environmental issues are fundamental. We all need to do our bit to a greater or lesser extent. City traffic is increasingly heading in the direction of low-emission alternatives. And Hamburg is encouraging this.
So naturally this also includes taxis. I have green energy at home, for example; that was important to my daughter, and rightly so. And it’s logical with an electric car. Every step counts. We need to think about the future, and our children’s future.
How do you, as a taxi operator, think things will develop?
Apart from the electric taxis that are already on the road, interest is growing. I’ve been able to be a bit of a pioneer both here at Taxi Alstertal and among other taxi drivers. A lot of people are sceptical as to whether an electric car can really work as a taxi. And then they see my ID.4, become curious and ask about my experiences. And when it comes to urban traffic, I can definitely say – do it, it’s worth it.
Ultimately, it’s all about happy customers: how are they responding to the ID.4 taxi?
For 90 percent of my passengers it is the first time that they have ever been in an electric car. It’s definitely a topic of conversation during every journey – range, charging, costs, environmental aspects, for and against. People are really interested. And the response to my ID.4 taxi is consistently positive. Sometimes in the form of approving comments.
I even had an enthusiastic customer who walked all around the ID.4 a few times, she was really excited and was trying to convince her husband that they should get one. And she said that she only wanted to use my taxi in future. What was touching was an older gentleman, who I picked up from hospital: he was sat in the back and spent the whole time raving about how quiet the car was – what a nice journey, incredibly comfortable. Then when I dropped him and his luggage off outside his house, he waved goodbye and called out:
“The queen is the only other person to drive as quietly.”
For more information and press materials, see here the media portal Volkswagen Newsroom.