ETIOCA Miner: the taxi of the future arrives in Barcelona

It is called ETIOCA Taxi Miner, and it is the first project of ETIOCA Holding, a company that seeks to offer a new ecosystem of electric vehicles accompanied by a range of services based on pillars such as digitalization, sustainability and the circular economy. And to start, at ETIOCA they thought there was nothing better than targeting the taxi sector. To do so, they have created the ETIOCA Taxi Miner, an electric taxi prototype that has just passed through Barcelona as part of the Road Show the company is carrying out to showcase its proposal.

The project managers claim they have spent more than five years analyzing the needs of this sector, in order to develop a proposal that fits the new urban mobility trends. So much so that ETIOCA proposes a comprehensive service in which the entrepreneur or taxi driver does not have to buy the vehicle, but instead “subscribes” to a usage option that includes absolutely everything, from daily electricity charging (which can be done by swapping the batteries) to insurance, maintenance… and even car washing.

Modular platform with swappable batteries

The ETIOCA Taxi is designed on a modular platform that allows different configurations. In fact, its first presentation is as a taxi, but ETIOCA considers options such as school bus, or vehicles for emergency or assistance services such as firefighters, ambulances or police, as well as for last-mile delivery fleets. The idea, on paper, is perfect: an electric-powered car with an MPV body or mini-van, with a driver’s cab completely isolated from a passenger compartment that offers easy access and seats up to 9 passengers. It includes a lifting loading platform, the ability to easily transport a wheelchair, a large luggage space and even a retractable platform for transporting bicycles.

The body can integrate two 50×150 cm LED panels that unfold automatically to display advertising, and its equipment includes a disinfection system using an ultraviolet lamp and a nebulizer, which could be used after each ride. But the best part is that the swappable battery system would allow the maximum range to be restored in just 3 minutes, which is how long it would take to replace the discharged module with one already fully charged.

For now, no technical specifications have been provided regarding the type of motors used, battery capacity or range. However, it is already possible to complete a pre-booking form (requiring a payment of 100 euros) on the etioca website, to join the company’s user network, which gives access to an integrated system that even allows the use of a cryptocurrency created by ETIOCA. The reservation amount will be used to “mine” the new digital currency, and will be refunded to those who make the reservation upon delivery of the vehicle.

The company’s plans are to have the first 10,000 taxis on the road by 2024, with planned annual production of 45,000 units by 2025, and 100,000 units by 2027. The initial investment to carry out the project is 400 million dollars, and the plan is to reach 1.2 billion in the next 3 years. At present, ETIOCA states it already has 90,000 reservation requests under negotiation in Italy, Spain, Israel and Latvia. The idea is to find a partner to use a production plant.

ETIOCA Taxi Miner – Image Gallery

Related information of interest

• How the Hyundai Ioniq 5 works as a robotaxi in Las Vegas
• LEVC TX: London’s electric taxi lands in Japan