The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) has now built 2500 examples of its all-new TX electric taxi. Marking this milestone at an event in Trafalgar Square, LEVC displayed the 2500th TX built in its factory in Ansty, Coventry, where more than £500m has been invested by parent company Geely into developing and manufacturing the world’s most advanced taxi since 2014.
These black cabs have proved popular with drivers, passengers and cities thanks to the technology that lies underneath its bodywork: the TX eCity range extender powertrain, which allows the taxi to run in full electric mode for up to 80 miles, slashing emissions and driver running costs and giving passengers a quieter and more soothing ride.
Combined, the cabs have prevented 6800 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere – the same as 1500 return flights from London to Sydney – and they’ve reduced NOx emissions, the major contributor to poor urban air quality, by 99.5% over the previous taxi. They have travelled a combined distance of 21,000,000 miles and have cut fossil fuel usage, preventing 850,000 litres of diesel from being pumped, saving drivers a total of £3.85 million or around £100 per week each compared with a traditional cab.
Currently, as LEVC’s biggest market, London’s cabbies are leading the charge with more than 2000 vehicles on the capital’s streets. The TX is also available in more than 20 cities across the UK, including Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. It’s proved extremely successful overseas too, with sales in Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Joerg Hofmann, CEO of LEVC, commented: ‘On behalf of all who work for LEVC, from our new factory in Ansty to our long-standing base in Brewery Road and our dealers in the UK and Europe, I am extremely proud of this momentous achievement. When this project began in 2014, we set out to make the world’s most advanced taxi, to distil more than 70 years of cab-building knowledge into an all-new leader in urban zero emissions mobility. The endorsement from drivers is compelling while passengers love TX’s comfort, space and connectivity features.’
Is the Editor of the Parkers website and price guide, formerly editor of Classic Car Weekly, and launch editor/creator of Modern Classics magazine. Has contributed to various motoring titles including Octane, Practical Classics, Evo, Honest John, CAR magazine, Autocar, Pistonheads, Diesel Car, Practical Performance Car, Performance French Car, Car Mechanics, Jaguar World Monthly, MG Enthusiast, Modern MINI, Practical Classics, Fifth Gear Website, Radio 4, and the the Motoring Independent...
Likes 'conditionally challenged' motors and taking them on unfeasible adventures all across Europe.
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And no one has mentioned the battery size. Because any 80-100kw+ batteries are extremely emissions expensive to build. Like up to 17 years of usage to equal building a diesel..
Well said, Jemma. As for “Combined, the cabs have prevented 6800 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere”, what about the production of the electricity to recharge the batteries? Then there is the cost of a battery electric taxi compared to a diesel one. As for the cabbie saving “around £100 a week”, does that mean he makes “around £100 a week” extra income for nothing? Nice little earner, if it is true; money for jam……
Need to save this much to pay for it IV just bought one £63000 and that after £7500 government grant
The article reads as though it was taken verbatim from the manufacturer’s PR spiel.
Well, if your comment is intended as a criticism, I should perhaps gently explain that AROnline is and always has been a non-commercial enthusiast’s website and that all the Contributors, from Founder and Editor Keith Adams down, either have full-time jobs (in his case, as Editor of Parkers) or are, like myself, retired – as all AROnline’s content is provided on a pro bono basis and often when time is at a premium, perhaps you can forgive us for using the occasional Press Release as a News story.
There is an emissions trade off in manufacturing/generation, but in the case of a taxi it is much more likely to be the electric version that comes out looking greenest…in use all day every day, rather than a private car just doing a few hours a day.