GOING THE DISTANCE

The new electric taxi is a union of versatility and driving comfort, combined in a vehicle that is fit for purpose and kinder to the environment…and your wallet.

A powerful electric motor always drives the taxi – quietly and efficiently converting power from the battery into propulsion. Thanks to unrivalled charging flexibility, this battery can be charged either at home or with on-street charge points. It has been designed with the unpredictable nature of a taxi driver’s day to day routine in mind. This means flexibility in charging options and a range-extender to ensure all drivers enjoy the benefits of owning a new electric taxi.

We are excited to announce that the new electric taxi is capable of travelling up to 400 miles in between plug-ins! This is thanks to the small petrol engine (known as a range-extender) which works as a generator, maintaining the state of charge when the battery is depleted. This ensures that the vehicle can continue to run for hundreds of miles before a re-charge is needed.

Allowing drivers to operate a vehicle for up to 400 miles between plug-ins means that the new electric taxi is commercially viable for taxi drivers all over the world. Taxi drivers who travel many miles over varied routes every day have no reason to worry about the level of charge. And because the wheels are always being powered by the battery, the power and performance available to the driver is always consistent, making for a smooth and comfortable ride for both passenger and driver.

Managing your battery

It will always be kinder to your wallet and kinder to the environment to charge up the electric taxi from a dedicated charge point (either at home or from an on-street charge point). As a result, the new electric taxi helps to operate exclusively on battery energy as much as possible by offering clear and simple monitoring systems and visual displays making the driver permanently aware of the amount of range and charge that remains.

The electric drive motor and petrol range-extender work together seamlessly to deliver the optimum efficiency for the operating conditions. Drivers are also able to manage energy usage manually by alternating between different drive modes, via a touch screen in the centre console. The three different drive modes available are described below.

SMART mode intelligently operates the vehicle in the most efficient way, switching between battery and range-extender where appropriate.

In PURE EV mode the petrol range-extender is disabled and only battery power is used to drive, using no fuel and producing zero-emissions. Drivers are kept informed on the level of charge, and indicators advise drivers when to select an alternative drive mode as the battery charge is depleted.

For maximum flexibility, SAVE mode runs the range-extender to conserve the battery charge for later use. The best example of the ingenious SAVE mode being put to practical use is for taxi drivers that commute to the city from many miles away. Simply select SAVE mode when leaving home and your 100% charge will be maintained during your entire commute. Once entering the city limits or low emission zone simply switch to PURE EV mode for many miles of completely emission free operation. At the end of a shift the return home on SMART mode ensures that you’ll have plenty of range to get home. Simply plug in overnight to do it all again the next day.

Charging the battery by coasting or braking… giving drivers free energy!

Complimenting the intelligent energy management systems, the new electric taxi employs regenerative coasting and braking. Kinetic energy normally lost as the vehicle slows is instead captured and converted into stored energy. This means every time a driver coasts or puts their foot on the brake, the energy is cleverly diverted back to the battery. What’s more, the level of regeneration can be adjusted to suit a driver’s preference and driving style.

The electric taxi utilises the next generation of smart vehicle technology which has been specifically designed to suit the next generation of smart taxi drivers. By utilising electric power and managing power usage intelligently, the new electric taxi offers (for the first time) a commercially viable, clean, green alternative to the traditional diesel taxi. In doing so it also offers the taxi driver the opportunity to drastically reduce their running costs at the same time as helping to clean up our cities.

Stay subscribed to learn much more about the state of the art technology that lies under the skin of the new electric taxi.

Leave a Comment

Azir Aziz

Hi,
Congratulations for the wonderful designing a new taxi and it looks very unique I’m looking forward for a test drive..best wishes for the future…

Reply
LEVC

Thanks Azir – the TX goes on sale in London in Q4 of this year, and the rest of the UK and continental Europe in 2018. You’ll also be able to see and experience the new taxi in person later this year, when we put the all-new TX on the streets of London in the hands of licensed taxi drivers.

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Filip

Just too good to be s truth.
However if this is a trurh it will definitely come at a heavy high price.With the work so bad LTC must be very much in a dreamland of good sales of this cab.

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Eva

My worry is the cost. It was the sole reason we went from being 20 yrs + owning LTI,s to a Peugeot tepee who can justify spending £50k plus outside of London.
Hopefully it will be priced to encourage people to invest in the future.

Reply
LEVC

Hi Eva
In the TX the average driver could achieve a £100 saving per week on fuel because electricity is a far cheaper fuel source. Across a 5 year PCP finance deal a driver could save approximately £25,000 on running costs.
When you consider the reduced servicing and maintenance costs of TX, the free servicing and unlimited mileage warranty on the battery for 5 years, the additional passenger seat which allows for larger group fares, and exemption from any congestion charges – the TX becomes very affordable.
In addition, there are a number of grants available to taxi drivers including the ‘Delicensing scheme’ which offers drivers up to £5,000 towards the cost of the new electric taxi if your current taxi is between 10-15 years old. There is also investment from TFL to supply a range of charging infrastructure dedicated to taxis.

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Michael morgan

When and were will new electric taxi be available to view and test drive, I am Liverpool city council badged. What dates will it be able to order to buy for liverpool, many thanks

Reply
LEVC

Thanks for your questions Michael. The TX will be in our London showroom later this year for test drives.
If you’d like to view the taxi before then you can register your details on this site and we’ll send you an invitation to a private preview session. These sessions are extremely informative – and have been well received by trade and media associates who have attended already – because we can explain in a lot more detail all the key information about the taxi, fuel savings possible, how / where to charge, and much more.
The vehicle goes on sale in London in Q4 this year, and rest of world January 2018.

Reply
Damian

Can the battery be charged by only using the petrol motor, for those of us who live in flats or terraced houses that don”t have a convenient charging point close by?

Reply
LEVC

Hi Dave, the battery when fully charged can achieve in excess of 70 miles using pure electric. TX is also supported by a petrol range extender which provides an additional 400 miles between charges.

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Graham

Hi, it says on the website that if using the tx all day it will require a 45 min recharge, can you tell me why this is please
many thanks

Reply
LEVC

Hi Graham, by charging overnight you could begin your shift at full charge with a 70+ miles range. In order to achieve the 120 daily miles (the average London taxi driver mileage) you have two options: either use the range extender to travel all of the remaining miles, or charge the battery again during the day and use a combination of electric + the range extender to travel the remaining daily miles. The latter would help you realise greater savings in fuel costs because electric charging – even during the day – is still far cheaper than diesel or petrol.
The TX features market leading charging flexibility so drivers can make use of the full range of on street charging infrastructure if choosing to charge during the day; making use of a rapid public charger at 50kW would charge the battery 70% during a quick 45 minute lunch break.

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Sajad khan

Hi there. I’m a cab driver in Oxford and have been following this topic for a number of weeks now. Even though the package is available to buyers, but I have two main concerns. Firstly, what will the price be for a new battery as after the unlimited five year guarantee ends, that will be the biggest concern. Secondly, the other biggest worry is having the infrastructure in place. Absolutely anything can go wrong with this new TX including damage where something as simple as kick to the side door and causing damage. Where and how fast will this get repaired. Will LEVC have the infrastructure in place in cities they are aiming to sell.

Reply
LEVC

Hi Sajad, thanks for your questions.
The battery in the TX is state of the art battery-cell technology. It has been designed with durability in mind, and will last as long as the vehicle does. As battery technology grows, the cost of replacement batteries will fall so it is impossible to predict how much a battery will be in even in the short term future.
TFL and other local councils have made assurances that they are investing in suitable infrastructure for the shift to electric vehicles. As part of the £177 per week finance package, 3 years of free servicing is included.
We are currently in process of appointing a network to support the TX to provide vehicle support in areas necessary. Technician training and capability forms a key part of the appointment requirement, ensuring the vehicle is on the road with the least amount of downtime as possible.
If you’re not subscribed to our email updates please do so as we will be sharing a lot more information about the Battery technology very soon.

Reply
Ian

Hi,

I run a 2011 ?TX4. Estimated worth is about £20,000 (roughly) Would i get a trade in for around the current value and also £5000 off the new taxi as a grant? not sure how its meant to work?

Reply
LEVC

Hi John, thanks for your interest. The OTR of the taxi £55,599 which includes the battery and more crucially our five years full unlimited mileage battery warranty which is industry-leading for any commercial electric vehicle, and includes three years/90k miles free servicing; three years/120k miles full vehicle warranty to include roadside assistance. It is important to stress the battery is tested and proven to last the life of the taxi, for that reason we wouldn’t like to speculate what it will cost to change the battery at this moment in time because as EV adoption and improvements in battery technology continue to grow, the cost of replacement batteries continues to fall, so even comparing the price of replacing a battery now against what it would be to change at the end of the TX’s life or even after the warranty is extremely misleading.

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James Beard

Is there any plans for a camper van style body on the mini van variant???
i.e. vw t4 transporter/camper.

Reply
LEVC

Great idea James. There are no immediate plans for a variant of that ilk however as our portfolio of commercial electric vehicles expands in the future who’s to say there won’t be.

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