How is a Tesla taxi possible, business wise?

[Shorty]

With what taxis in Stockholm charge, they should all be Teslas! I made the mistake of paying like US$200 to go from the airport to the city.

That is a real mistake given that the flat rate is 520kr or about $70 US! Thing to bear in mind in Stockholm is that different taxi co's charge different rates. You have to look at the side door of the car to see what the rate is before you jump in.

 

[artsci]

They have them in Amsterdam as well. I took one from the airport to my hotel. I thought it was so cool, but it does seem like a really expensive car to use as a taxi.

Just returned from Amsterdam. A reliable source told me the Netherland pays a 40,000 Euro subsidy for Model S taxis.

I was picked by a Model X Uber in Basel, Switzerland, where no subsidy is paid. The driver told me he's owned three Teslas. Go figure.

 

[xyeahtony]

Say a taxi driver drives 10 hours a day, and makes maybe $30/hour conservatively speaking.

$300/day x 330days/year working = $99k right there.

 

[Pezpunk]

Say a taxi driver drives 10 hours a day, and makes maybe $30/hour conservatively speaking.

$300/day x 330days/year working = $99k right there.

Who the hell works 330 days a year? A standard 5-day work week is 260 days, and that's with zero sick days and zero holidays. Not to mention no sane person would choose to work 10 hours every day of their life. Not even a Tesla would make that *sugar* bearable.

 

[TSLA_maybe]

Just got back from Prague and snapped this pic a couple of days ago. Afterwards I tried to do the math to see how it could work out. In a booming tourist city like PRG where it was inundated with tourists and taxi rates are somewhat "flexible". My regular taxi ride from the city center to airport was $20 for a 30 minute, 17km trip. It seems possible to make $300/day there.

 

[Lbkmxp100d]

Who the hell works 330 days a year? A standard 5-day work week is 260 days, and that's with zero sick days and zero holidays. Not to mention no sane person would choose to work 10 hours every day of their life. Not even a Tesla would make that *sugar* bearable.

You would not make it in the industry I work in w/ that line of thought! May not be hourly but work all but a handful of days throughout the year.

 

[Saghost]

The initial cost of the car often isn't the largest expense for a taxi driver.

I'm not sure how much Uber and Lyft have changed things, but a few years ago it cost over a million to buy a medallion in NYC - the legal authority to put one cab on the street (because the city only authorizes a limited number of cabs.)

Then you have gas, maintenance, insurance and so forth - all things that should be cheaper on the Tesla (insurance could go either way - more expensive car with a better safety rating.)

New York is probably an extreme example, but I could easily see EV and even Tesla taxis making financial sense without the government incentives that some places have right now.

 

[kort677]

Who the hell works 330 days a year? A standard 5-day work week is 260 days, and that's with zero sick days and zero holidays. Not to mention no sane person would choose to work 10 hours every day of their life. Not even a Tesla would make that *sugar* bearable.

I don't think that you grasp the concept of hard work.
unfortunately many people have to take advantage any opportunity to earn money and driving a cab is not a high paying profession.
I guess you've never been in that situation.

 

[kort677]

The initial cost of the car often isn't the largest expense for a taxi driver.

I'm not sure how much Uber and Lyft have changed things, but a few years ago it cost over a million to buy a medallion in NYC - the legal authority to put one cab on the street (because the city only authorizes a limited number of cabs.)

Then you have gas, maintenance, insurance and so forth - all things that should be cheaper on the Tesla (insurance could go either way - more expensive car with a better safety rating.)

New York is probably an extreme example, but I could easily see EV and even Tesla taxis making financial sense without the government incentives that some places have right now.

In NYC when you drive a "black car", their term for uber like services, you do not need to invest in a medallion.

 

[Saghost]

In NYC when you drive a "black car", their term for uber like services, you do not need to invest in a medallion.

True. The city puts substantial restrictions on what those are legally allowed to do (can only pick up people who specifically called for them, can't pick up in certain places, etc.)

The OP question was how a *taxi* driver could purchase and operate a Tesla, so I think my answer is still germane.

 

[kort677]

True. The city puts substantial restrictions on what those are legally allowed to do (can only pick up people who specifically called for them, can't pick up in certain places, etc.)

The OP question was how a *taxi* driver could purchase and operate a Tesla, so I think my answer is still germane.

you are correct that the yellow cabs are the only taxis allowed to pick up street hails in manhattan below 96 st. or the airports, outside of that area things are a bit more open.

what places are the uber types restricted from picking up in NYC?

could you explain what differentiates a uber type service from a taxi service?

 

[Pezpunk]

You would not make it in the industry I work in w/ that line of thought! May not be hourly but work all but a handful of days throughout the year.

sounds like your industry sucks.

 

[Pezpunk]

I don't think that you grasp the concept of hard work.
unfortunately many people have to take advantage any opportunity to earn money and driving a cab is not a high paying profession.
I guess you've never been in that situation.

if you're working 330 days a year, there are only 3 conclusions: either a) you're being taken advantage of, 2) you're absolute *sugar* at work-life balance, or 3) you love the ever-living hell out of what you do.

wasting your life working every day is not admirable in my opinion (unless it's something you're truly passionate about).

 

[kort677]

if you're working 330 days a year, there are only 3 conclusions: either a) you're being taken advantage of, 2) you're absolute *sugar* at work-life balance, or 3) you love the ever-living hell out of what you do.

.

1. taxi drivers are self employed or working as contractors. they pick when they want to work.
2. you must be another one who has never been poor.
you don't seem to realize that some people need to work as many hours and days as humanly possible in order to provide the necessities of life.

 

[f-stop]

The initial cost of the car often isn't the largest expense for a taxi driver.

I'm not sure how much Uber and Lyft have changed things, but a few years ago it cost over a million to buy a medallion in NYC - the legal authority to put one cab on the street (because the city only authorizes a limited number of cabs.)
...

The value of a taxi medallion in NYC has dropped to less than a fifth of what they were a few years ago due to the popularity of ride sharing services like Uber or Lyft. Competition from Uber and Lyft puts yellow taxi medallion value at its lowest of the century

 

[xyeahtony]

if you're working 330 days a year, there are only 3 conclusions: either a) you're being taken advantage of, 2) you're absolute *sugar* at work-life balance, or 3) you love the ever-living hell out of what you do.

wasting your life working every day is not admirable in my opinion (unless it's something you're truly passionate about).

Rich people lol. Okay you were obviously missing the point of my post. Lets just do your math and do 260 days instead.

260days x $300/day in cab fares = $78,000
(still pays for a Model S)

so my point still stands. Moving on now. And that cab driver is probably driving for more than one year. Add in a yearly electrical cost of $2000-$3000 in charging, fees and and all that, the Model S still turns out a profit after one year of taxiing.

Also you're just assuming that nobody else is driving the car except for one cab driver. Lets say a cab company shares it and so the Model S drives 365/days a year. What do you say to that? #eyeroll

 

[kort677]

Rich people lol. Okay you were obviously missing the point of my post. Lets just do your math and do 260 days instead.

260days x $300/day in cab fares = $78,000
(still pays for a Model S)

in what world? I guess you've ignored basic human necessities like food, shelter, clothing

 

[xyeahtony]

in what world? I guess you've ignored basic human necessities like food, shelter, clothing

again, someone else missing the point of the post. Was trying to demonstrate that a tesla as a taxi was profitable but i guess that is not possible of a point to convey. whatever lol.

 

[kort677]

again, someone else missing the point of the post. Was trying to demonstrate that a tesla as a taxi was profitable but i guess that is not possible of a point to convey. whatever lol.

your problem is that no matter how you try to present your theory a 75k car to be used as a taxi is not usually a profitable concept. 78k a year income is not enough to pay off the car, eat, have a place to sleep and put clothes on your back.

 

[Canuck]

We've got two Teslas as Taxis in Kelowna, BC -- the only ones so far in BC:

Take a Tesla taxi in Kelowna

Gas costs more here than in the States, due mainly to taxes to pay for socialized medicine, roads, our carbon tax, etc.

The article reads:

The Tesla taxis are more expensive to buy than traditional cabs.
“But we’re able to recoup that cost due to the maintenance and re-fueling,” Pokorny added.

I don't know about that -- esp. compared to a Prius -- but businesses and individuals don't always buy the cheapest thing that will work, as some here seem to think, for a number of different reasons. I know I do not.

I bet the owners of that cab company enjoy their Teslas much better than a Prius when off work, and it's tax deductible to boot, at least the extent to which it is used for business purposes.