Auto Futures - The Electric Taxi of the Future

Meet ‘MINER’ - The Electric Taxi of the Future - ETIOCA Founder Mark Ishakov.

Adrian Smith, Oct 19 2022

ETIOCA was born in 2015 in London when its founder Mark Ishakov, after analysing the problems and needs of British taxi drivers for several years, envisioned an electric vehicle that could revolutionise urban mobility. Seven years later, the end result is ‘MINER’, its first prototype electric cab.

Auto Futures has been talking to Ishakov about the Gibraltar-based company’s business model, and its plans to develop a whole mobility ecosystem.

‘MINER’, which was revealed in September 2022, is a multiservice electric taxi with a an emphasis on accessibility.

“ETIOCA MINER is a comfortable vehicle, easy to access, and free of architectural barriers. It features 7 seats, plus one for disabled passengers who can get onboard without the need of assistance, thanks to an automatic lifting platform. ETIOCA allows easy transportation of bulky leisure items such as bicycles, skis and snowboards” says Ishakov.

Many other features are available on board, such as digital screens to manage the available services, a payment terminal, a taxi shop, a minibar, chargers for all types of smartphones, and an online route map. Assistance for cleaning and recharging the vehicle through rapid battery change (battery swap) will be available at dedicated stations. Dynamic advertising panels, featuring ETIOCA LED technology, are positioned on the sides and on top of the vehicle.
The company sees ‘MINER’ as the first of many vehicles built on its all-electric technology platform.
“ETIOCA ‘MINER’ will be the first born in the ‘ANNA’ generation, a platform based on a modular architecture supporting different vehicle configurations. In the near future, ‘ANNA’ will produce a new range of service vehicles: taxis, work vehicles, school shuttles, emergency ve-hicles, security (fire and police) and defense vehicles.”

Taxi drivers can benefit from the ‘MINER’ as they no longer need to buy a car. They can simply get it from ETIOCA on a subscription basis. Drivers can use the vehicle, and all related services, at €0.99 cent/Km.

“Furthermore users are constantly connected with a dedicated, high-tech ETIOCA APP, which allows passengers to book short and long-haul journeys. Through the ETIOCA APP, drivers are informed of incoming reservations and can oversee their workflow: it’s a tool that allows taxi drivers to focus on their work without any additional stress and make as many rides as possible per day. With the revenues from rides, on-board services and billboards, ETIOCA drivers can increase their revenues” explains Ishakov.

All transactions are handled through the ETIOCA Fintech system, which integrates a proprietary cryptocurrency and supports international bank transfers, financial loans, payments to and from customers and business partners.

“The use of a proprietary cryptocurrency guarantees the transparency of transactions and aims at increasing stability and avoiding any kind of speculation. The cashback option can also be activated.”