London Electric Vehicle Company
 | |
| Formerly | The London Taxi Corporation |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Predecessor | LTI Limited |
| Founded | 11 January 2013 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Parent | Geely Holding |
| Website | levc |
London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC), formerly The London Taxi Corporation Limited, is a British automotive manufacturer with its headquarters at Ansty Park near Coventry, England. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese automaker Geely. The company produces London’s famous black taxicabs. Much of the engineering is done by China Euro Vehicle Technology, a Geely subsidiary based in Gothenburg, Sweden.[1]
History
Geely's involvement in British taxicab production began in 2006 when it partnered with LEVC's predecessor The London Taxi Company, and its parent Manganese Bronze Holdings, in the creation of a China-based taxicab manufacturing joint venture.[2] In 2008, Geely considered the possibility of converting London's black cabs into electric-powered vehicles.[3] In 2009 Geely bought shares in Manganese Bronze Holdings.[4]
In 2012 Manganese Bronze Holdings entered administration due to lack of funding.[5][6] In 2013 Geely rescued part of the business and created its own taxicab production company as The London Taxi Corporation Limited.[7]
The joint venture, Shanghai LTI Automobile Components Co Ltd, made the TX4, a licensed London Black Cab,[8] in Fengjing, Shanghai,[9] and exports semi-complete knock-down kits for assembly in the UK.[8]
From 2014, Geely invested £480m in LEVC to develop a new taxi. In March 2015, LEVC announced a new factory and offices would be built at Ansty Park, northeast of Coventry at a cost of £90m, creating 1,000 jobs.[10][11][12] Geely hoped to manufacture 36,000 vehicles per annum.[13]
In 2017, the company launched the new LEVC TX range-extended electric taxi and announced its intentions to begin production of electric commercial vehicles in addition to taxicabs.[14]
Models
TX
Geely had been in talks over the possibility of converting London's black cabs into electric-powered vehicles. The company said it has held talks with UK government officials about the plan.[15] The TX range extender electric vehicle is built at a new facility near Ansty Park, 5 miles (8 kilometres) northeast of Coventry. [16][17][18] By April 2022, over 5,000 TX's has been sold in London, around a third of London's taxi fleet.[19]
VN5
An electric van was revealed by LEVC on 17 June 2019[20] In March 2020, LEVC confirmed that the new van would be called LEVC VN5.[21] It went on sale in the UK in 2020 and in the rest of Europe the following year.[22]
L380
LEVC revealed the L380 electric people carrier for the Chinese market in December 2023. With a length of 5.3 m (17 ft) and up to 4 rows and 8 seats inside, the name and stylistic cues of the L380 are based on those of the Airbus A380.[23]
References
- ^ "LEVC VN5 Ultima mot Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo". Teknikens Värld (in Swedish). 30 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Black cab, U.K. transport icon, to be made in China – Business – International Herald Tribune". The New York Times. 4 October 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Geely set for control of London cab maker". Reuters. 17 March 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ^ "Manganese Bronze calls in administrators". BBC News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ^ "London black cab maker Manganese Bronze enters administration". The Guardian. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ^ "Coventry taxi maker LTI sold to Chinese firm Geely for £11.4m". BBC News. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Shanghai LTI Starts Supplying SKD TX4 to the UK". ChinaAutoWeb. 25 August 2010.
- ^ "British icon on wheels made in China". China Daily. China Daily Information Co. 5 September 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "London EV Company – Zhejiang Geely Holding Group". Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "London Taxi Company Coventry plant to create 1,000 jobs". BBC. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ^ "City AM". 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ Mullen, Enda (11 July 2017). "London Taxi Company to change its name after 69 years". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "Geely: we'll make an electric London Cab". China Times. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ "Coventry – is the UK's 'motor city' still driving forwards?". BBC News. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "London taxis to take on the world as hybrid TX5 sets sights on global exports". The Independent. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "London taxi-maker raises $400m to develop greener cabs". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "LEVC CELEBRATES SALE OF 5000TH TX ELECTRIC TAXI IN LONDON". LEVC. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ "LEVC reveals new taxi-based range-extender delivery van". Autocar. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "LEVC VN5: name confirmed for taxi-based range-extender delivery van". Autocar. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "LEVC launches new VN5 electric van in Europe". Automotive World. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ Pappas, Thanos (11 December 2023). "New LEVC L380 Is An Electric Minivan Inspired By The World's Largest Passenger Aircraft". Carscoops. Retrieved 11 December 2023.