The London Taxi Company changes its name as the new model gets ready for release.

New product, new name and new logo signal global ambitions as London Taxi Company transforms

• London Taxi Company becomes LEVC – the London EV Company – to support its global vision to become the urban commercial vehicle provider of choice
• Ambitious commercial vehicle strategy beginning with the electric Taxi, followed by an electric LCV, based on eCity technology
• TX announced as the taxi model name as the final production design is presented in London for the first time
• Drivers of the new electric TX will save on average £100 per week in fuel with no separate battery leasing
• LEVC announces its first major international order and appoints RMC as the importer for the Netherlands with an initial order for 225 vehicles
• The TX order book opens on 1st August 2017 commencing with drivers who have registered an interest

London Taxi Company (LTC) has relaunched as LEVC, marking the next stage in the company’s transformation. 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 around the world.

Chris Gubbey, CEO, LEVC said: “Today is an incredibly exciting day for the company, for the world’s cities, for the air we breathe and for the drivers of commercial vehicles. The launch of LEVC marks Britain’s leadership as a first mover in creating the world’s only dedicated electric vehicle company for the urban commercial market.”

Alongside the unveiling of the new name and brand logo, LEVC also revealed the final version of the new London Taxi – the TX – and its eCity technology comprising of an advanced battery electric powertrain with a small petrol generator. Applied to the all-new electric TX, the technology allows for a range of over 400 miles including well over 70 miles range with zero emissions.

Discussing the benefits that the TX will bring to drivers, Gubbey commented:

“From our heritage as the manufacturer of the iconic London Taxi, we have unparalleled insight into the needs of commercial operators. Drawing on the best of British design and engineering as well as technical expertise from our sister company Volvo, our products will help transform city living and provide taxi drivers with an average weekly fuel saving of £100 compared with our outgoing diesel model.”

Due to launch in London later this year, LEVC is finalising its quality and testing regime for the TX which has taken it to the extreme heat of the Arizona desert and freezing temperatures in the Arctic Circle. LEVC expects strong demand from its launch market in London once the order book opens on the 1st August 2017.

Commenting on London’s leadership in tackling poor air quality, Gubbey added:

“London has led the way in setting out tough measures to reduce taxi and van emissions and in just a few short years we expect EVs for the commercial operator will not just become commonplace, but mandatory in cities around the world creating huge opportunities for LEVC globally.”

A key consideration for the company’s new name and brand positioning is its international strategy, which has been boosted by the news that LEVC has received its first major international order from RMC in the Netherlands for an initial 225 vehicles to be delivered in 2018. RMC, one of the Netherlands’ largest taxi operators, has been appointed as the importer and operator.

Chris Gubbey, commenting on the news, said:

“Today’s announcement that RMC will be our importer for the Netherlands is great news for LEVC and demonstrates the need for EV urban commercial vehicles across Europe and the world. We have been extremely impressed with the vision and business plan presented by the management team at RMC and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.”

From 1 August LEVC will be providing personalised purchase propositions to drivers commencing with those that have registered an interest through www.theelectrictaxi.co.uk 

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.

The iconic London Taxi is being reborn with the TX5, and a $400 Million Investment Program to expand the product.

London's iconic black cabs aren't waiting for the U.K.'s vote on European Union membership, seeking their own Brexit by pitching an electric version for Paris and other major European cities.

London Taxi Co., a U.K. subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., 

showed the TX5 prototype in Paris last Thursday.

The car is powered by electric motors with an on-board gasoline-fueled generator for extra range. The goal is to offer the vehicle to cabbies in the French capital by 2018 and then expand to cities such as Barcelona, Oslo, Amsterdam and Berlin.

London Taxi is counting on its cab's spacious passenger seating and extended range to find buyers on the continent amid uncertainty over the U.K.'s future if the country votes to leave the European Union later this month.

The traditionally styled cab is designed for urban centers, where air quality is a growing problem. Paris is set to ban vehicles more than 20 years old starting next month.

"Most of the major cities in Europe have an air-pollution problem," said Peter Johansen, head of the taxi manufacturer that was bought by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. in 2013. The limited range of existing models "is what has stopped until now the adoption of electric vehicles as the mainstay of taxis."

App competitors

London cabs aren't the only ones going green. France's leading taxi company, Taxis G7, and Uber Technologies Inc. allow French users to order electric and hybrid vehicles on their apps. Since December, tourists also can visit Paris aboard a retrofitted vintage Citroen 2CV car with an all-electric engine.

The rollout of the TX5 is part of a $400 million program that includes a new factory near Coventry, England. In addition to targeting traditional cabbies, London Taxi also plans to offer the car to ride-sharing apps such as Uber and its competitors.

London Taxi said the cost of owning the vehicle will make it attractive but declined to provide details about price or range.

"We are offering a global product that will be a global beater," said Johansen, who says the car can reach European markets even with a Brexit. The country is "so much part of Europe now

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