The London EV Company (LEVC) has delivered its first
TX eCity Black Cab to a cabbie. The first hybrid taxi was handed over to
46-year old David Harris, who was one of the first to put a deposit down on the
range-extended electric vehicle when order books opened back in 2017.
The company says the model should allow Harris to
save £ 500-£ 600 (US$ 699-US$ 838) a month thanks to reduced fuel, servicing, and
operating costs.
The rear-wheel drive TX has a 31 kWh lithium-ion
battery which powers an electric motor that develops 150 PS and 255 Nm of torque. It enables the
model to accelerate from 0-100 km in 13.2 seconds and hiy a top
speed of 128 km/h. More
importantly, the taxi can travel up to 128 km on electricity alone.
When the battery charge becomes too low, a
turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder is activated to recharge it. The LEVC
says this enables the model to have an overall range of up to 643
km and a combined fuel economy rating of 217.3 mpg UK (180.9 mpg US, 1.3
lt/100 km).
The entry-level model starts at £ 52,024.50
(US$ 72,751.58), but the VAT increases the total to £ 62,429.40 (US$ 87,288.16).
However, the OTR price is a more reasonable £ 55,599 (US$ 77,737.97) thanks to a
£ 7,500 (US$ 10,488) plug-in taxi grant issued by the Office for Low Emission
Vehicles.
That’s still a significant amount of money, but the
taxi comes equipped a panoramic glass roof, an intercom and WiFi
connectivity. The model also boasts a
9-inch touchscreen infotainment system as well as an assortment of driver
assistance systems such as autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning
and forward collision alert.
