Its name is Miner and it is the first taxi prototype from Etioca, a UK start-up founded by Mark Ishakov. Two months after the presentation of the first styled model, Etioca showed a running version of the electric vehicle produced in Turin by the Coggiola workshops and which is very close in content and aesthetics to the final one whose first deliveries will arrive in 2024. As for the production chapter, Etioca stated that annual production will reach 45,000 units in 2025 and 100,000 units by 2027. According to the statement, 90,000 pre-orders are currently being discussed between Italy, Israel and Latvia.
The Etioca Taxi Miner is a vehicle with squared-off van architecture that serves its purpose. Every inch of interior space has been optimised to accommodate seven passengers (plus the driver) on independent seats. The driver, on the other hand, travels isolated in a safe environment and the driving position is central. The design was guided by the maximum exclusion of architectural barriers: disabled passengers, for example, will be able to board unassisted via an automatic lifting platform. The Etioca Miner also allows the transport of oversized and leisure items such as bicycles, skis and snowboards thanks to a multifunctional platform that can be removed from the rear.
The Etioca business model does not involve the purchase of the taxi but its use through the payment of a fee of 0.99 euro cents per kilometre, a fee that includes various services such as maintenance and recharging, which can also take place through the battery swap procedure. Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro will also be involved in the design of the next Etioca vehicles. “Back in 1976 I tackled the subject of a new taxi for New York (the Alfa Romeo New York Taxi) that remained in the prototype stage. I am happy with Fabrizio to contribute to the development of this concept integrated into a global ecosystem,” said Giorgetto Giugiaro.
