Few people thought about that when the car was launched: the electric Renault Zoe will be used as a taxi in Italy. It’s a bit of a surprise because the Zoe has a fairly small trunk, and its back seat can only accept two people, but we guess it should be OK for city use. Actually, the Italians are already looking beyond the little Zoe. They’ve ordered 20 Zoe, but also 20 Renault Kangoo electrics, the passenger version of a compact van, and 10 Toyota plug-in Prius.

A total of 50 cars doesn’t seem very impressive, and yet this is nearly a country-wide initiative as the cars will be used in seven Italian cities. Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Florence, Naples and Palermo. Charging stations will be built in each city according to local needs, and those should also help jumpstart EV sales in the country. At the very least, those 50 taxis should become an example of successful electric mobility in Italy. Renault and Toyota are partners in the project which will be under the supervision of students in eco mobility at Luiss Business School. There will be no Renault Zoe at launch later this month, but all cars should be in the streets this summer.