New Hamburg taxis from 2025 only without combustion engines

At the beginning of the new year, only zero-emission taxis are permitted to be registered in Hamburg. A corresponding regulation in the Hamburg Climate Protection Act comes into effect. For large taxis with eight or nine seats, the ban on combustion engines will apply starting in 2027. Thanks to public funding, according to the Authority for Transport and Mobility Transition, nearly 700 of the approximately 3,000 Hamburg taxis are already electric cars. Additionally, about 30 vehicles are powered by hydrogen. 

New Combustion Engines by the End of the Year

Some entrepreneurs have acquired combustion engine cars before the turn of the year, as they are not entirely convinced by electric cars, according to the Hansa Funktaxi cooperative.

“This is primarily because there is no long-term experience with electric cars yet and because there is no functioning resale market yet,” explains board member Jan Weber.

Few Charging Stations in the Suburbs

The transition is proceeding largely without issues, according to him. The range of electric cars has significantly improved. The charging infrastructure in Hamburg is almost sufficient. However, if passengers want to drive to the surrounding areas, it becomes difficult.

“In rural areas, the charging infrastructure is a disaster,” says Weber.

The running costs of electric vehicles are significantly lower than those of combustion engines. Repairs are almost non-existent.

“With e-taxis, the brakes last a very long time, and the costs for inspections are negligible,” raves the Hansa-Taxi board member.

According to its own statements, the cooperative has a total of around 700 vehicles. It is participating in the "Future Taxi" project led by the traffic authority under Senator Anjes Tjarks (Green Party).

Conversion funded with four million euros

For the conversion of Hamburg's taxi fleet to emission-free drives, the city has spent over 4.2 million euros so far, as explained by the spokesperson of the traffic authority, Dennis Krämer. Since 2021, the purchase of electric vehicles has been subsidized in three funding phases as part of the "Future Taxi" project. 

In the first nine months of this year, according to the Senate, 110 e-taxis and 362 vehicles with combustion engines were newly registered. The funding was originally supposed to expire at the end of the year. However, now there will continue to be a subsidy of up to 5,000 euros, if a combustion vehicle is replaced by an e-car, at the request of the taxi industry, says Krämer.