So the London Taxi Company which has been making London’s black cabs for almost 70 years has recently released a brand new electric powered cab.
The new cabs retain much of the familiar shape, but are marginally bigger, allowing a sixth passenger inside.
The taxis have been brought up to date with wi-fi, USB chargers, and a new, transparent roof which allows passengers to take in the cityscape above them.
With a 50kW rapid charge, the battery powers up to 80 percent in 25 minutes. The TX also has the option for a range extender 1.5-liter petrol engine for use when the driver wants to conserve the battery. It has three different modes — Smart, Pure EV, and Save that adjust the usage of battery and gasoline power. LEVC’s taxi allows for a range of over 650 km, including over 120 km using battery power.
LECV says driving a TX taxi equates to £100 in fuel cost savings per week. The taxis were also tested in the sweltering heat of the Arizona desert and in frigid, icy conditions in the Arctic Circle. “We’re trying to take them to all these extremes to make sure the vehicle is good and does everything it needs to do, wherever it’s sold in the world,” Eddie Martin, development manager for the TX program, says. “More and more cities want electric-only vehicles so that there’s no emissions in the city itself, and that’s one of the things this vehicle is capable of doing.”