London Electric Vehicle Company has
officially revealed the VN5, the van version of the TX London Taxi complete
with its range-extended electric powertrain. The new LEVC VN5 is available to
order now, with the first examples to be delivered in the UK in the fourth
quarter of the year. Customers in left-hand-drive markets will get to order the
VN5 from March 2021.
LEVC says that the driving range of the
new VN5 van is over 484 km, with the pure EV range rated at 98 km according to the WLTP. The powertrain consists of a 31 kWh
battery pack, a rear-mounted electric motor, and a 1.5-liter three-cylinder
petrol engine acting as a range extender. Thanks to the VN5’s 50kW DC
fast-charging compatibility, the battery can be fully charged in as little as
30 minutes.
The cargo area of the new LEVC VN5 can
easily fit two Euro-sized pallets, offering a gross payload of 830 kg and an up
to 5.5 cubic meters capacity. The body features a large side-loading door, big
enough for a pallet to be side-loaded, and a 60/40 split door at the rear.
Customers will be able to choose between
three variants of the new VN5 – Business, City and Ultima. All VN5 models will
feature Autonomous Emergency Braking, a 9-inch touchscreen display, dual-zone
climate control, and cruise control as standard. City models add a heated
windscreen, parking sensors front and rear, and Lane Departure Warning. The
range-topping Ultima comes with a rear-view camera, luxury seats, and metallic
paint among others.
LEVC will also offer six option packs to
customers in order to bring the VN5 to their preferred specification; these
will include the Comfort Pack, which adds luxury seats, navigation, under-seat
storage, and heated windscreen, as well as the Safety Pack which features Road
Sign Information system, Speed Light Intelligent Function, Lane Departure
Warning and curtain airbags.
