Hybrid fuel-cell taxi is taken for a spin

I didn’t expect my debut drive around the Lotus race track to be in a 2.6-tonne Hackney Carriage, but with a man known as ‘the Norfolk Stig’ gripping the passenger-side hand rails, we put the latest contribution to the taxi scene through its paces.

Those who have sat in the back of an iconic London black cab will know that it isn’t the most comfortable or quietest of rides. But this vehicle is different. Beneath the traditional taxi exterior is a hydrogen fuel-cell system hybridised with packs of lithium polymer batteries that provide an almost silent, zero-emissions drive.