LEVC TX

The LEVC TX[1] (previously known as the TX5) is a purpose-built hackney carriage manufactured by the British commercial vehicle maker London EV Company (LEVC), a subsidiary of the Chinese carmaker Geely.[2] It is the latest in a succession of purpose-built hackney carriages produced by LEVC and various predecessor entities. The LEVC TX is a plug-in hybrid range-extender electric vehicle.[2][3]

LEVC TX
2019 LEVC TX Vista
Overview
ManufacturerLondon EV Company
Production2017–present
2019–present (China)
AssemblyUnited Kingdom: Coventry (Ansty Park plant)
China: Yiwu (Geely)
Body and chassis
Body styleHackney carriage
LayoutFront-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Doors
RelatedLEVC VN5
Powertrain
Engine
Electric motor2x 110 kW (150 PS) Siemens permanent magnet synchronous motor
CapacityX
Hybrid drivetrainPlug-in series hybrid
Battery31 kW·h lithium ion 400 V
Range377 miles (607 km)
Electric range80.6 miles (129.7 km)
Plug-in charging
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,986 mm (117.6 in)
Length4,857 mm (191.2 in)
Width1,874 mm (73.8 in)
Height1,888 mm (74.3 in)
Kerb weight2,230 kg (4,916 lb)
Chronology
PredecessorTX4

The vehicle is designed to comply with Transport for London’s Taxi Private Hire regulations, which banned new diesel-powered taxis from January 2018, requiring zero-emissions capability.[4]

Background

In the late 2000s, Geely was in talks over the possibility of converting London's black cabs into electric-powered vehicles.[5] From 2014, Geely invested £480m in LEVC to develop a new taxi, with a new factory to be built in Coventry.[6][7][8] Geely hoped to manufacture 36,000 vehicles per annum.[9] The vehicle entered production in 2017.[6]

In January 2020, LEVC announced plans to market the TX in Japan[10] with Fleetway and Service Company as the Japanese distributor.[11] Deliveries were reported to be made in Q2 2020.[11]

LEVC reported that taxis were sold in Azerbaijan for Baku Taxi Service in March 2020.[12]

Technical
Rear view

The LEVC TX is built on a unique platform, underpinned by a bonded aluminium chassis built in the UK, giving the LEVC TX a 32 percent parts localisation rate by value. China and Europe each account for 32 percent of the content, while United States content is 4 percent.[13]

The LEVC TX is powered by a full-electric hybrid drivetrain. It drives in full-electric mode all the time, but is recharged by an 81-horsepower (60 kW; 82 PS) Volvo-sourced 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine.

The LEVC TX is fitted with a 33 kilowatt-hours (120 MJ) battery pack supplied by LG Chem, and powers a 110-kilowatt (148 hp; 150 PS) Siemens-built electric motor for traction.[14] When the battery pack has insufficient charge to power the vehicle, the petrol engine is claimed to achieve 36.7 mpg‑imp (7.7 L/100 km; 30.6 mpg‑US).[15]

The charge connectors are mounted either side of the radiator grille, and are a CCS socket, capable of 50 kW DC and 22 kW AC, and an optional 50 kW capable CHAdeMO connector.[16]

In accordance to London taxi regulation, the LEVC TX offers a turning circle of 8.45 metres (27.7 ft) (4.23 m (13.9 ft) of radius) which made possible by the front wheels that turn up to 63 degrees, instead of the typical 38 degrees.[17][18]

Service history

The TX took advantage of 2018 Transport for London rules that allowed only zero-emission capable vehicles to become additions to the city's taxi fleet.[19] By February 2018 it was the only taxi capable of meeting these rules.[19][20]

By April 2022, over 5,000 TX vehicles has been sold in London, around a third of London's taxi fleet.[21] In May 2022, LEVC announced that over 7,000 taxis had been sold worldwide.[22]

Outside London, the TX5 also serves as a taxi in Austria,[23] Australia,[24] Azerbaijan,[25] China,[24] Denmark,[11] France,[11] Germany,[26] India,[27] Israel,[28][29] Japan,[30] Poland,[31] Spain[32] and Switzerland.[11]

See also

References
  1. "TX - Price and Specification Guide". LEVC. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  2. Anthony, Sebastian (23 March 2017). "Electric TX5 black cabs start rolling off the production line". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  3. Allan, Lawrence (5 December 2017). "New 'TX' electric London Taxi priced at £55,599". Autocar Express. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  4. "Emissions standards for taxis". Transport for London. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  5. "Geely: we'll make an electric London Cab". China Car Times. China Times. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  6. Reynolds, Matt (29 May 2018). "An obscure Chinese firm has taken over London's black cabs. Its next target? Beat Uber at its own game". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  7. "London EV Company – Zhejiang Geely Holding Group". Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  8. "London Taxi Company Coventry plant to create 1,000 jobs". BBC. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  9. "City AM". 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  10. https://uk.motor1.com/news/392479/levc-tx-taxi-japan/
  11. https://levc.auto.staging.netdirector.auto/corporate/news/levc-in-japan/
  12. https://uk.motor1.com/news/404274/levc-tx-red-azerbaijan/
  13. Gibbs, Nick (24 April 2017). "How Volvo helped to electrify the London black cab". Automotive News. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  14. "Where Tradition Intersects with Contemporaneity". Automotive Design & Production. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  15. "TX Cost comparison fuel savings". www.levc.com. 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  16. "Levc TX Price and Specification". www.levc.com. April 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  17. "Taxi for Reid: Rory tests London's new plug-in black cab Reviews 2023". Top Gear. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  18. "British Built Cars | LEVC - TX taxi/TX Shuttle". www.britishbuiltcars.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  19. Topham, Gwyn (6 March 2018). "London black cabs hail Treasury for scrapping car tax". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  20. "Cleaner greener taxis". TFL. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  21. "LEVC CELEBRATES SALE OF 5000TH TX ELECTRIC TAXI IN LONDON". LEVC. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  22. "LEVC CELEBRATES MILESTONE OF 7,000 GLOBAL ELECTRIC TAXI SALES". LEVC. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  23. https://www.electrive.com/2021/02/13/levc-appoints-distributor-in-austria/
  24. "Geely Commercial Vehicles Enter Southeast Asia". Media Center - Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  25. https://www.electrive.com/2020/03/09/azerbaijan-receives-100-red-electric-cabs-from-levc/
  26. "Shuttle-Dienst in Hamburg nutzt elektrische London Taxis". www.kfz-betrieb.vogel.de (in German). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  27. "Iconic London black cabs in India now in e-avtaar as MUVs". The Times of India. 31 March 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  28. "LEVC'S GLOBAL EXPANSION CONTINUES WITH LAUNCH OF TX AND VN5 IN ISRAEL". LEVC. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  29. "N12 - המוניות מלונדון מגיעות לישראל: כך הן ייראו". N12. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  30. https://levc.com/case_studies/keio-taxi/
  31. https://levc.auto.staging.netdirector.auto/corporate/news/levc-poland/
  32. https://levc.auto.staging.netdirector.auto/corporate/news/barcelona_partner/
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