LEVC (London EV Company)’s new TX electric taxi is now fully certified to carry fare-paying passengers in London

• LEVC (London EV Company)’s new TX electric taxi is now fully certified to carry fare-paying passengers in London
• TX is ready to revolutionise the passenger experience with more space, 6 passenger seats, forward facing wheelchair access, power sockets for laptops, USB ports, on-board wifi, an expansive panoramic roof and active & passive safety systems making it the world’s most advanced taxi
• The all new TX is powered by LEVC’s eCity technology comprising of an advanced electric powertrain with a small back-up petrol generator
• e-City technology allows for a range of up to 400 miles including 80 miles range with zero emissions, helping to improve urban air quality for all Londoners
• Milestone occasion marked on the 65th Anniversary of the Great London Smog and hosted at Battersea Power Station, another London icon reborn for the 21st Century

Today marks a momentous milestone in the life of the London taxi: LEVC (London EV Company)’s all-new electric TX taxi is now fully certified to carry fare-paying passengers. For the first time Londoners will be able to ride through the city’s streets in incredible comfort with technology at their fingertips, safe in the knowledge that they are sitting in the world’s cleanest, most advanced taxi ever.

The new TX is a revolution for passengers who should expect unrivalled ride comfort, class leading wheelchair accessibility, air conditioning, phone charging and a much more spacious cabin with six seats. 

Features abound including wide opening rear hinged doors, power sockets for laptops, on-board wifi, contactless card machines and an expansive panoramic roof. 

Chris Gubbey, CEO of the LEVC, said:“After extensive testing, LEVC’s new taxi is ready to do the job it was made for: transport people around this great city of London safely, cleanly and stylishly. Better for passengers, more cost effective for drivers, it will play a major role in helping to improve air quality benefiting all Londoners. I am immensely proud of the work we have carried out so far: we have produced a new icon, the world’s most advanced electric taxi.”

Having been put through the most rigorous testing regime in the company’s history, including extreme weather conditions in the Arctic Circle and Arizona, plus thousands of miles in the hands of real cab drivers in London, the new TX is ready to go to work – ahead of TfL’s January 2018 deadline when all newly licensed taxis need to be zero emission capable.

Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, said: “These new electric taxis are at the forefront of green transport technology and will play a transformational role in the Mayor’s plan to phase out diesel and clean up the transport network. This will help to accelerate improvements to London's toxic air.

“It’s great to have the first electric taxis on London’s streets and a testament to London’s leadership and that of LEVC. I look forward to seeing many more taxis on London's street in the coming months”.

This landmark moment was celebrated at Circus West Village, the first phase of the Battersea Power Station regeneration, which is now open. The entire site has been designed to futureproof for a mass adoption of electric vehicles with the infrastructure for almost 1,000 electric charging points planned and the flexibility to increase that. The first 57 charging points are now available for use at Circus West Village. The Grade II* listed Power Station building and its surrounding areas is being transformed into a community of homes, shops, offices, restaurants and public space - a vibrant, new town centre for Londoners. Like the TX, both icons blend old and new and are being redesigned for 21st century living, and have a major role to play in the future London landscape.

All LEVC products use its eCity technology comprising of an advanced battery electric powertrain with a small back-up petrol generator. Applied to the all-new electric TX, the technology allows for a range of up to 400 miles including 80 miles pure electric range.

Unlike the previous taxi, the vehicle’s multi-filter system works to remove gases and particles from the incoming air. In addition, an in-built air quality sensor also automatically closes the external air intake if it detects increased levels of pollution in the outside air – protecting passengers, and the driver, from the capital’s often poor-quality air.

World-class active and passive safety systems will help to protect both the vehicle and other road users too. These include forward collision warnings, autonomous emergency breaking and emergency brake assistance, while the TX combines an extremely strong, rigid aluminium body shell with crash protection to the highest international standards, reinforcing the black cab trade’s reputation for safety.

Carl-Peter Forster, Chairman of the LEVC, said: “There have been many milestones on this journey, from opening a brand-new factory in the heart of the UK – the first brand new automotive manufacturing facility in Britain for over a decade; the first dedicated electric vehicle factory in the UK – to today’s announcement that our new TX has passed all certification tests and is now able to carry fare-paying passengers. It will save drivers money, bring new levels of comfort and convenience to those who hail one and provide the safest and cleanest way of getting around a city by taxi. And this is just the start. We will deliver new TX models in Europe later in 2018 – and across the world. Our goal is to be the global, automotive leader in urban commercial vehicles. We are well on our way to achieving that.”

LEVC has received thousands expressions of interest in London for the new electric TX since order books opened on August 1st 2017 and the first electric TX models will arrive in the hands of drivers this month. The vehicle is currently available for test drive and those who have placed orders will start receiving their vehicles in due course.

Underpinned by an investment totalling £325m, LEVC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Geely, has the single-minded ambition to be the urban commercial vehicle provider of choice for cities across the globe. Its commercial vehicle strategy will see the new TX launched first followed by an electric LCV.

The All-New Electric powered TX5 London Taxi will gets a first Glance at this years Goodwood Show.

One of London Taxi Company (LTC)’s all-new range extended electric taxi test vehicles will feature in the ‘First Glance’ paddock at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this week. This vehicle class showcases the latest prototype and concept vehicles from around manufacturers around the world.

Each day of the Festival, which runs from Thursday 29 June until Sunday 2 July, the electric taxi prototype will silently make the world famous Goodwood Hillclimb, making its world dynamic debut in front of some of the 200,000 visitors at the West Sussex motoring extravaganza.

Taking the wheel will be young racing driver, currently the fastest woman in the Ginetta championship, 17 year old Katie Milner – completing a trio of firsts for the London Taxi Company at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS): the world dynamic debut of their electric taxi, the first taxi ever to feature on the famous ‘Hill’ and the youngest female driver ever to take part in the Hillclimb event.

Each day the electric taxi will also be presented on the live stage at the FoS Michelin Supercar Paddock, alongside some the fastest and most valuable cars on Earth. LTC have been invited to participate on this stage because of the taxi’s adaption of supercar manufacturing techniques. LTC’s extensive use of light weighting means that LTC can get the maximum distance out of the electric battery without impacting the strength and safety of the vehicle.

LTC’s appearance at FoS follows a rigorous period of testing across the world for the all-new electric taxi, which has included weeks and thousands of miles in both hot and cold climate endurance tests in the Arizona desert and Arctic Circle, respectively.

On sale later this year, LTC’s new electric taxi will be the most comprehensively tested product in the company’s history. With well over a million miles covered so far, these test vehicles have been more extensively tested than any of LTC’s last three taxis combined. This is not just to meet the exacting standards of London’s cab drivers but the requirements of drivers and climates of cities all around the world.

The All new Hybrid London Taxi undergoes extreme hot weather testing in Arizona, USA.

• As Summer Arrives In The UK, London Taxi Company’s All-New Range-Extended Electric Black Cab Shines In Extreme Arizona Desert Heat

London Taxi Company (LTC)’s strenuous testing regime for its range extended electric vehicle has taken the cab to the extreme desert heat of Arizona in the U.S.

A critical part of the development programme of the vehicle, extreme climate testing not just proves the considerable distances the vehicle can cover whilst the atmospheric controls are running at full power, but also that the new cab is a vehicle suitable for the world, not just for London.

On sale in the final quarter of 2017, LTC’s new electric taxi will be the most comprehensively tested product in the company’s history, all to ensure thatit meets not just the high regulatory standards of London but the requirements and climates of cities all around the world.

Chris Gubbey, CEO of the London Taxi Company said:“Since announcing this project we have had considerable interest not just from European cities but hot weather cities around the world. To convert this interest into sales we must prove TX5 can perform as well in the 45 °C heat of Dubai as it can in the sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic, and as it does in the changeable conditions of London.”

On these trials, the vehicle successfully undertook daily of journeys of 300 miles, the equivalent of driving from Heathrow to central London some 20 times. This is roughly triple the average daily mileage of the typical London cab, reassuring cab drivers that there are plenty of extra-miles in the tank if they’re sharing the vehicle with another driver, or, should they land a popular “roader” (London cabbie parlance for a long-distance fare). 

This shows that despite additional pressure of extreme heat on the battery, the cab can still cover considerable distances. So, regardless of the conditions outside, both driver and passenger will be able to travel in comfort without worrying about the range of the vehicle.

Leaving the passenger free to enjoy the sights of the city through the panoramic roof, and the driver to experience long range, zero emissions driving in maximum comfort.

Dr Wolfram Liedtke, Head of Quality at LTC said: “Testing in these extremes provides us with a huge amount of data, helping us to understand how the performance of the batteries changes at high temperatures, and how can get the most charge out of them.

“In the next few weeks, our equipment testing will also take us to extremely humid environments, as well as some more mountainous terrain. This is all preparation for one of the most challenging environments for vehicles – everyday use on the streets of London.”

LTC is due to start its vehicle demonstration programme in London this summer and, thanks to this testing in Arizona, the cab’s first customers will keep cool during what has started off as a sweltering summer in the capital.

London Taxi Company (LTC) is set to celebrate the life of its iconic diesel taxi at the London Motor Show.

• London Taxi Company (LTC) is set to celebrate the life of its iconic diesel taxi at The Confused.com London Motor Show 2017 before bidding it farewell
• The revolutionary new range extended electric taxi will replace the diesel cab at the end of the year, and LTC will be pulling out all the stops to honour its legendary existing model
• Over 130 brand new cars will be showcased from a range of manufacturers at Battersea Evolution from 4-7 May

London Taxi Company (LTC) is preparing to give its iconic diesel black cab the ultimate send-off at The Confused.com London Motor Show. 

The current cab has spent 10 years as the world’s No. 1 taxi of choice and has been exported to over 40 countries around the globe, including Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy and New Zealand. 

But London is the cab’s spiritual home, and it will be returning to its roots at Battersea Park from 4-7 May for one final hurrah. As this cab is being replaced by a new range extended electric taxi at the end of 2017, LTC is inviting show-goers to say goodbye to the legend by sharing their taxi stories. 

A giant “leaving card” will be displayed at the LTC stand, which guests can sign with their favourite taxi tales and best memories of their time spent with the car. 

The model on show will be a Limited Edition TX4, which is one of the last 300 ever diesel cabs to roll off the production line. Like all new diesel taxis, it will come with a Euro 6 engine which delivers an 83% reduction in nitrogen oxides when compared with older models. 

The TX4 is also estimated to have appeared in over 5,000 movies and TV shows, including the likes of James Bond films, Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes, and many of its impressive feats will be honoured at The Confused.com London Motor Show. 

The Limited Edition TX4 will join a long list of exhibits in Battersea Park, where over 130 brand new cars will go on display to the tens of thousands of spectators passing through the gates. 

Alec Mumford, Chairman of The Confused.com London Motor Show, said: “Welcoming a true London icon to our show in the capital is incredibly fitting and we’re very excited to play a big part in paying tribute to a legend. We all have memories of being in one of the current cabs and it’ll be very interesting to see what our guests write in the LTC leaving card. London automotive stalwarts don’t come much bigger than The Confused.com London Motor Show and the London Black Cab, and the union is sure to be very special.” 

The London Taxi Company will produce a second vehicle at the new premises, a Light Commercial vehicle.

• Second vehicle from brand new facility to be a Light Commercial Van
• Purpose built, range extended EV to meet needs of the commercial sector across the globe
• Advanced technology to help tackle urban pollution crisis
• Targeting “last mile” delivery, distribution and maintenance sectors
• Incremental additional investment of around £25m bringing the total investment by parent Geely to £325m

Following today’s official opening of the London Taxi Company’s brand new R&D and manufacturing facility in Ansty, the company is delighted to announce that the second vehicle to come off the line will be a dedicated, range extended electric light commercial van (LCV).

This all new, highly flexible, commercially competitive electric vehicle will help fleet owners lower their running costs, improve air quality and support cities in tackling the pollution crisis in urban areas.

Chris Gubbey, CEO of the London Taxi Company said: “This is going to be the future proofed ’white van’ that people have been waiting for. Designed solely for the urban commercial sector, dedicated to the people who keep our cities working, it will be clean, competitive and ready for cities of the future.”

The air quality crisis in many urban environments has highlighted the scale of the opportunity and demand for zero emissions capable commercial vehicles in major cities across the world. 

Electrification is a key component of the global strategy to reduce emissions and the London Taxi Company is determined to apply its expertise in advanced electric vehicle technology, and the taxi market, to urban commercial vehicles.

Carl-Peter Forster, Chairman of the London Taxi Company said: “In addition to our brand-new taxi, the manufacturing of this all new light commercial van is a transformative step for the company as we will move from a single product, single market organization to a multi-product, multi market organization. 

We remain absolutely committed to designing and manufacturing dedicated, range extended EVs that build upon our deep knowledge of advanced technologies and the needs of the urban commercial sector.”

The London Taxi Company’s research and development team of around 200 people, now based in Ansty, has been working around the clock, building upon its new core EV platform architecture, to develop an outstanding LCV that is fit for the world’s cities in the 21^st century. 

Its ground-breaking work in developing the all new taxi underpins the LCV strategy having been created on the same range extended EV technology platform. 

With this platform and manufacturing capability already in place, designed for flexible production from day one, the company can bring to market the new LCV through an incremental additional investment of around £30m taking the total investment from parent company Geely to £325 million.

The new vehicle will help to meet emissions targets in cities around the world, as well as being able to handle the toughest urban environments. Importantly for drivers, the vehicle will be city ready and lower running costs, even as electric charging infrastructure continues to develop. 

Zhou Jianqan, the head of Geely’s Commercial Vehicle Division, said: “I am extremely proud to see Geely’s investment in the London Taxi Company allow it to evolve beyond the taxi market. The light commercial van sector in cities across the globe holds enormous potential and urban leaders are embracing zero emissions at an incredibly rapid pace. This vehicle is a result of the new R&D team based at Ansty and will complement Geely’s global expertise in electric vehicle technology adding to the world class talent across the group.”

ENDS 

Geely Automotive has opened its £300m new production facility in Coventry to build London Taxi's.

UK’s first dedicated car factory to produce electric vehicles for global markets

• Ansty plant to be UK’s first dedicated electric vehicle manufacturing facility
• First all-new vehicle manufacturing facility to be built in Britain for more than a decade
• The first major Chinese investment of its kind in UK automotive from parent Geely
• The creation of more than 1000 high skilled, high quality manufacturing jobs
• A new R&D Light-weighting and EV centre for Geely and Britain

The London Taxi Company (LTC) today announced the official opening of the UK’s first car plant dedicated solely to the production of range -extended electric vehicles. This new, state-of-the-art, vehicle plant in Ansty, Coventry, is where the world’s first purpose-built, mass-market electric taxi will be built. 

LTC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Geely, has invested more than £300m in the new site and the next-generation London taxi, which will be produced at the plant and exported around the world. 

The investment and expansion of LTC has created more than 1,000 new jobs, including 200 engineers and 30 apprenticeships.

The site has the capacity to build more than 20,000 vehicles per year - vehicles designed for, and dedicated to one task: to be the best ultra-low emission commercial vehicles in the world. The taxi vehicle is using proven Volvo Car electric powertrain system technologies and components comprising a new EV light weight platform, while retaining the iconic design heritage recognized around the world. Further derivatives of this new EV architecture will follow.

All vehicles produced at this plant will go through the most stringent testing regime in the company’s history. Each test vehicle will cover almost 500,000 kilometers, often in extreme conditions, to ensure that no city is off-limits. This program will enable LTC to deliver world-leading urban commercial vehicles, which meet the highest levels of quality, reliability and usability, purposefully designed for demanding daily drive cycles.

The all new electric taxi goes on sale first in London in quarter four 2017, and then around the world in early 2018. The new vehicle will be highly competitive with substantially lower fuel costs than its previous taxis.

Chris Gubbey, Chief Executive of the London Taxi Company, said: “Today marks the rebirth of the London Taxi Company. A company with a singular vision; to design and build dedicated urban commercial vehicles that can operate without emissions in cities around the world and bring down running costs for drivers.”

The fully integrated factory – from research through to production – will also become a globally connected research and development centre in electric vehicle powertrains and lightweight aluminum body structures, which will be applied in all vehicles made at the plant.

The technology behind the new facility and vehicle is cutting edge. It has been developed in collaboration with other members of the Geely group, including Volvo Cars, whilst drawing on LTC’s heritage and expertise in the development of purpose-built taxis.

This partnership has ensured that the vehicle retains its key features such as being wheelchair accessible, and having a high level of manoeuvrability whilst incorporating new features like a spacious cabin area with six passenger seats and a highly sophisticated electric drivetrain.

Carl-Peter Forster, Chairman of the London Taxi Company, said: “The opening of our new plant sets a number of records; it’s the first brand new automotive manufacturing facility in Britain for over a decade; the first dedicated electric vehicle factory in the UK; and the first major Chinese investment in UK automotive. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved today, and we have firmly put our stake in the ground as a new, global, automotive leader in urban commercial vehicles.”

The new fully integrated research, development and production facility, where work began just under two years ago, has been supported by the UK Government through its Regional Growth Fund.

The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy attended the opening ceremony and welcome the investment, stating: “Our iconic black cabs are famous across the world. The London Taxi Company’s impressive new factory and R&D facility showcases the innovation that makes the UK a world leader in the development of new automotive technologies.

Through our ambitious Industrial Strategy, we are committed to building on our strengths and taking advantage of the opportunities the new low carbon economy provides.”

The construction of this plant at Ansty was possible thanks to the commitment of Government to support UK leadership in ultra-low emission vehicles – including measures like a dedicated purchase grants for taxi drivers provided through the Office of Low Emission Vehicles - as well as its ongoing commitment to the Midlands Engine through the government’s Industrial Strategy.

In addition, the London Mayor and TfL have played a significant role in putting the taxi industry on a more sustainable footing – including their proposed taxi decommissioning scheme, their commitment to build a dedicated charging network for commercial vehicle drivers and world leading zero emission licensing requirements.

Shirley Rodrigues the Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment said: “The Mayor and TfL are fully committed to helping the iconic London taxi trade become the greenest, most sustainable fleet in the world. With air quality at toxic levels in London, our Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan sets out bold measures to fully support the black cab trade’s evolution into zero emission capable vehicles. The pioneering models made at this factory will help fast track the taxi industry both in the UK and internationally into the next generation of cleaner vehicles, as well as creating many new jobs. Our further efforts to drive up standards across the taxi and private hire industry will also improve safety for every passenger in London, and protect the future of the unique and invaluable service that black cabs provide to Londoners.”

The plant meets the highest environmental standards possible, including 850m2 of photovoltaic solar panels to power the factory and 20 charging points for electric vehicles. The plant has also earned an Excellent BREEAM[i] rating and an A rating for energy performance. LTC also worked closely with Natural England to minimise any potential impact to local wildlife from the construction of the facility, and supported the construction of numerous “newt hotels” to re-home rare species in the area.

Zhou Jianqan, General Manager at Geely Commercial Vehicles, said: “This dedicated electric vehicle plant, gives LTC and Geely the chance to lead the way in advanced British manufacturing as we look to solve the pollution challenges facing the world’s major cities. Urbanization continues around at such a pace with more than a billion new city dwellers expected by 2030. This move to cities will only be sustainable if all vehicles, including taxis, go electric. Our vision is to help solve the pollution crisis, not as an add on, but as a company dedicated to meeting the needs of commercial drivers and their passengers.”