The electric future of London's iconic taxi fleet

(14 Sep 2017) LEADIN: Visitors to Frankfurt's IAA motor show are getting a glimpse at the future of London's iconic taxis. The London EV Company (LEVC), which is owned by Chinese automaker Geely, is showcasing a new, high-tech, hybrid taxi cab that's set for London's streets later this year. STORYLINE: Far from London's busy streets, LEVC is showcasing its electric taxi to motor show visitors in Frankfurt. This all-new TX model is based on eCity technology, comprising a battery electric power train with a range extender. This, LEVC says, enables a range of over 400 miles between charges and over 70 miles purely on zero emission, electric power. "Because taxi drivers do want to have range flexibility, they do the odd long-range trip, which is normally pretty good business, the vehicle has what is called a range extender," explains LEVC chairman Carl-Peter Forster. "But it's not a limp home range extender, it's a range extender which allows the taxi drivers to do the odd long trip, London to Birmingham, Frankfurt to Nuremberg, whatever." Transport rules mean from 1 January 2018, all new black cabs in the British capital must be capable of zero emissions running, making vehicles like this a necessity. But it's not just headed for London, LEVC is in Frankfurt to showcase the TX taxi to the German market. They aim to begin selling abroad by the second quarter of next year. They already have 225 orders in Amsterdam, for instance. "I think we have entered the period in which the transition to an electric powertrain is happening," says Forster. "So, you don't have a point in time, you have a transitional period because we still struggle with the overall energy density of the batteries, the lack of a recharging infrastructure and so on and so forth. "So, pure electric vehicles still have the issue, you have a limited range and then it takes time to recharge the battery, thus we see a transitional period in which you have combinations of the combustion engine and an electric power train." But the traditional taxi's future is anything but certain, given the rising popularity of ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft, not to mention the great strides being made in self-driving technology. Forster believes there'll still be a need for a taxi with a traditional driver for some time to come. "There might be a top-end segment where taxi drivers still play a role and the bottom end will be done automatically, we don't know," he says. "Again, it's not a point in time, we start entering a transitional period." The biennale event opened to trade and media 12 September and to the public 16-24 September at Frankfurt/Main exhibition grounds. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/35b66a9940e441bea877859aad774f3d

Added 17 Aug 2026