The All-New Electric London taxi is undergoing exhaustive testing to ensure it is up to the rigours of the job.

These pictures from the London Taxi Company (LTC) demonstrate just part of the extreme testing programme the all-new electric black cab is undergoing in LTC’s most comprehensive product quality programme in its 98-year history.

Underway now in the lower reaches of the Arctic Circle in Norway, the extreme cold climate testing is just part of the new programme LTC has developed to ensure the highest levels of quality, reliability and usability for demanding taxi usage cycles before launch later this year.

Testing the vehicle in a real life environment of -15°C helps LTC ensure that the battery and range of the vehicle are not disproportionately affected by cold weather.

However, extreme cold weather testing is not just to guarantee battery performance, it also serves to check the quality of driver and passenger experience in cold weather. This means checking that cab heating and ventilation continue to perform to the highest standards – no matter how bitter the temperature outside. Driving experience is also checked – so the impact of grip, drivability and visibility are also checked. LTC engineers can then make adjustments to ensure that drivers have the best drive regardless of the conditions.

This regime to check the vehicle performance in even the harshest conditions will only get more stringent over the coming weeks, with the vehicle set to be cooled down in giant fridges to -49°C. These checks will seek to guarantee that the vehicle will always start, even after the coldest nights.

The new range extended electric taxi will also undergo similar endurance testing in extreme heat environments before it is deemed ready for sale.

On sale in the final quarter of 2017, LTC’s new electric taxi will be the most comprehensively tested and developed product in the company’s history, as Quality Director Wolfram Liedtke explains:

“Our new taxi is being developed with two key engineering principles – quality and endurance to meet the needs of the demanding taxi duty cycle.  We are now nearing the end of our development programme, and will soon commit the product to series production at our all-new manufacturing facility in Ansty, near Coventry” 

“We understand drivers will want to be sure that our range extended electric vehicle technology works in all conditions which is why we’ve gone to such efforts to test in these extreme environments. It will be, without doubt, the highest quality and resilient product in London Taxi’s history.”

Wolfram brings to the London Taxi Company huge experience having run manufacturing plants across Europe during his career which includes 10 years as Executive Director for Quality at GM Europe and 4 years as Quality Director for premium car maker Jaguar Land Rover.

The feedback of cab drivers is a hugely important part of the development of this vehicle too. So Steve McNamara, General Secretary at the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, also joined LTC for part of the testing.

“It was truly amazing to witness the new London black cab being tested in such an extreme climate and performing so well. This new clean modern 21st century vehicle will ensure that the world’s best cab drivers now have the best tool for the job” said McNamara.

London Taxi Company CEO Chris Gubbey added: “2017 is a momentous year for the London Taxi Company, and I am very proud to be leading the business at such an exciting time.  Our brand new manufacturing facility in Ansty is now complete and will be officially opened later this month, and shortly after the all-new range extended electric taxi will enter series production.  The first dedicated and zero-emissions-capable taxi in the world to enter series production.”

He added: “As proven in these wonderful images from the Arctic Circle – chosen not just for its extreme climate, but also as a symbol of our zero-emissions-capabilities being tested in the cleanest air environment on Earth – we really have put the new vehicle through its paces.  Given these extremes of testing – both in hot and cold climates –   we demonstrate that our vehicle will be a taxi for London and the world over, capable and at home in any city.”   

LTC is due to open its new facility on the 22^nd March 2017 thanks to a £300 million-pound investment from parent company Geely.

USA - Ford tests it's vehicles to the extreme, with the Climate Wind Tunnel, Blizzard conditions are easy.

With Old Man Winter on his way, Ford vehicles are ready to meet the harsh demands of extreme cold and heavy snow. That, in large part, is thanks to the company’s climatic wind tunnel, which tests the winter-readiness and reliability of Ford vehicles in blizzard-like conditions. Ford moved snow testing to the Allen Park, Michigan facility in 2006.

Engineers bring the outdoors in

The climatic wind tunnel allows Ford to take cold weather testing off the roads and conduct it inside, where engineers can replicate wintry conditions year-round. At the facility, all Ford vehicles – from F-150 to Fiesta – are subjected to worst-case winter scenarios so they are prepared to navigate snowstorms.

Engineers simulate conditions from extreme freezing to blistering desert temperatures, from as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit to as high as 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind testing conditions can reach hurricane-like speeds of up to 125 mph, blowing snow at the front of the vehicle to simulate a blizzard.

To simulate worst-case scenarios, Ford vehicles are required to carry a full load of passengers and cargo. Some are made to tow heavy loads in these conditions.

Since snow can choke a vehicle’s engine, engineers continuously monitor air intake. The team also checks whether shift linkages freeze up, and where on the vehicle snow accumulates.

Besides a four-hour test in the climatic wind tunnel, Ford vehicles also undergo two days of snow-related testing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, near Sault Ste. Marie.

Equipped for slip

Ford prepares its vehicles to conquer winter with a stellar set of features, including a heated steering wheel, and heated front and rear seats available for Ford Explorer, as well as front and rear camera washers.

What’s more, Explorer’s intelligent four-wheel drive with Terrain Management System^™ reassesses conditions about 20 times faster than the blink of an eye, providing precise handling and traction. The driver uses a dial on the center console to shift on the fly, selecting among four terrain management modes – normal, sand, mud and, of course, snow.

Ultimately, these features, along with the performance and endurance tests all Ford vehicles undergo, help ensure each one will perform safely and reliably – no matter the weather.