► First pics of new London taxi
► Rebranded as TX, all-electric
► London Taxi Company = LEVC
All hail the new London taxi! Revealed this week, this is the 2017 reinterpreation of the classic black cab, reimagined for a more digital age with wifi onboard, lightweight tech and silent electric propulsion.
The TX is made from lightweight aluminium for greater efficiency and aerospace (or Lotus) style bonding is used for greater stiffness. It’ll rattle much less than your usual lift home on a Friday night, the makers promise.
The company formerly known as the London Taxi Company has been rebranded as the London EV Company, or LEVC. The new name is designed to resonate in cities around the globe, as the company repositions itself as a purveyor of electrified urban utility vehicles.
TX: the new name for the hybrid London cab
The new cab is called the TX and is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (or PHEV, as we’re dealing with plentiful acronyms here). A small petrol engine acts as a generator, topping up the battery.
LEVC, which is owned by Chinese giant Geely alongside Volvo, claims a range of more than 400 miles between refills, more than 70 of them possible on silent EV power before the generator kicks in. It claims it’ll save London’s taxi drivers an average £100 a week in fuel compared with its diesel predecessor.
The new all-electric factory for Britain’s new cab
The rear doors are now suicide doors, opening to 90deg for easy access; a wheelchair ramp is built in, helping disabled users to board easily. There’s space for six on board, LEVC claims.
Chris Gubbey, CEO of 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.’
Electric taxis: a common sight on London’s roads?
The new company said it had already received 225 orders for the new electrified cab from the Netherlands and Transport for London forecasts that 9000 will be working the capital’s streets by 2020.
Next step? Hybridised electric vans, using the same eCity technology as the TX cab.