The first 25 hydrogen taxis in Hamburg debut on its streets

The city mandates that after 1 January 2025, all new taxis should become emissions-free

Last week the first 25 hydrogen taxis in Hamburg debuted on the streets. The Toyota Mirai cars were funded by the ‘Taxi of the Future’ project. The project was able to grant 350 emissions-free taxis, drastically growing their numbers in the Hanseatic City since April 2021, when there were 5. However, these 25 are the first to opt for hydrogen instead of a conventional battery.

Sustainable transportation expansion in the private sector with new legislation

This development has caused a reaction from local authorities who have adopted a new piece of legislation on sustainable mobility. As part of the Climate Protection Act, the Hamburg Senate has decided that as of 1 January 2025, all new taxis have to be emissions-free.

In addition to federal funding that could support companies through the added cost, local authorities have created a separate fund for an additional 460 emissions-free taxis, 60 of which will be accessible to wheelchair users.

Growing sustainable mobility from the point of view of the companies

Bülent Aktas and MR Safar Nejad, Managing Partners Best Taxi GmbH, the owners of the 25 hydrogen taxis were quoted in a press statement expressing their support for more sustainable mobility. Both own close to 150 taxis spread over three companies. 40 of those are electric and now an additional 25 are hydrogen, meaning that half of their fleet is zero-emissions.

According to an official statement, however, the biggest hurdle to adopting this type of technology faster is not the added cost but the lack of charging stations and hydrogen filling stations. Nevertheless, the hope is to continue pioneering hydrogen and emissions-free mobility options in the future.