Black cabs turn 'green' - and head overseas

The London Taxi Co, owned by Chinese automaker Geely, announced on July 11 at the unveiling of the final design of the TX electric taxi in the British capital that it had rebranded as London EV Co.

Chris Gubbey, CEO of London EV, also announced a contract with Dutch company RMC to deliver 225 of the vehicles to Amsterdam. Gubbey says the company's ambition is to move beyond the London market.

"Today's announcement ... demonstrates the need for EV urban commercial vehicles across Europe and the world," he says.

Gubbey tells China Daily that London EV is in talks to deliver cars to several other European cities. Geely is building a factory in China that will produce the TX and plans to roll out the vehicles in Chinese cities in the next few years.

Geely acquired the London Taxi Co in 2013 for ￡11 million ($14.2 million; 12.4 million euros) and has since invested ��325 million in the business, including a ￡300 million factory in Coventry to build the TX.

Gubbey says: "Four years ago, people didn't anticipate this. The company was just out of receivership and going through tough times. But early on the message from Geely was clear - the company was going to invest in product."

The TX maintains the iconic look of a London black cab, though the taxis will no longer run on diesel.

The new vehicle combines an electric powertrain and battery with a small petrol generator, giving the car a range of around 110 kilometers on pure electric, and a combined range of more than 640 kilometers.

The TX is a series hybrid, with all four wheels always powered by electricity and the petrol engine charging the battery when needed, as opposed to a parallel hybrid where the petrol engine cuts in and drives two wheels.

Gubbey says the decision to go with a hybrid engine over an all-electric car was driven by buyer concerns over range.

"One of the things that people worry about, even with a private car, is range anxiety," he says. "With a commercial vehicle that becomes a critical part of the business. You cannot afford to have that anxiety."

The TX order book opens on Aug 1, commencing with drivers who have registered an interest. A driver's weekly payment plan for a new vehicle will vary according to any existing deal on previous black cab models. Drivers will benefit from an estimated ￡100 a week in fuel savings.

Recent UK legislation stipulates that all new London black cabs must be battery powered starting on Jan 1, 2018. London's transport authority, TfL, currently anticipates that, 9,000 London taxis will be zero-emission capable vehicles by the end of 2020.

angus@mail.chinadailyuk.com