London EV Company

For the predecessor company, see The London Taxi Company.
For the airport in Valencia, Spain, assigned ICAO code LEVC, see Valencia Airport.

London EV Company
FormerlyThe London Taxi Corporation
Company typeSubsidiary
  • London Taxi Company (2013–2017)
  • LEVC (2017–present)
IndustryAutomotive
PredecessorLTI Limited / Carbodies (Manganese Bronze Holdings)
Founded11 January 2013; 11 years ago (2013-01-11)
Headquarters
Ansty Park, Warwickshire
,
United Kingdom
ProductsAutomobiles
ParentGeely Holding
Websitelevc.com

London EV Company Limited (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.

History

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See also: Manganese Bronze Holdings

Geely's involvement in British taxicab production began in 2006 when it partnered with London EV Company's predecessor, The London Taxi Company, and its parent Manganese Bronze Holdings, in the creation of a China-based taxicab manufacturing joint venture.[1][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. Much of the engineering is done by China Euro Vehicle Technology, a Geely subsidiary based in Gothenburg, Sweden.[10] 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.[11][12][13] Geely hoped to manufacture 36,000 vehicles per annum.[14]

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.[15]

Models

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TX

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LEVC TX
Main article: LEVC 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.[16] The TX range extender electric vehicle is built at a new facility near Ansty Park, 5 miles (8 kilometres) northeast of Coventry. [17][18][19] By April 2022, over 5,000 TX's has been sold in London, around a third of London's taxi fleet.[20]

VN5

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Main article: LEVC VN5
LEVC VN5

An electric van was revealed by LEVC on 17 June 2019[21] In March 2020, LEVC confirmed that the new van would be called LEVC VN5.[22] It went on sale in the UK in 2020 and in the rest of Europe the following year.[23]

L380

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Main article: LEVC L380
LEVC 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.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "London EV Company Limited". Companies House. Crown.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Geely set for control of London cab maker". Reuters. 17 March 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Manganese Bronze calls in administrators". BBC News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  6. ^ "London black cab maker Manganese Bronze enters administration". The Guardian. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  7. ^ "Coventry taxi maker LTI sold to Chinese firm Geely for £11.4m". BBC News. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Shanghai LTI Starts Supplying SKD TX4 to the UK". ChinaAutoWeb. 25 August 2010.
  9. ^ "British icon on wheels made in China". China Daily. China Daily Information Co. 5 September 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "London EV Company – Zhejiang Geely Holding Group". Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  13. ^ "London Taxi Company Coventry plant to create 1,000 jobs". BBC. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  14. ^ "City AM". 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  15. ^ Mullen, Enda (11 July 2017). "London Taxi Company to change its name after 69 years". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "Coventry – is the UK's 'motor city' still driving forwards?". BBC News. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  18. ^ "London taxis to take on the world as hybrid TX5 sets sights on global exports". The Independent. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  19. ^ "London taxi-maker raises $400m to develop greener cabs". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  20. ^ "LEVC CELEBRATES SALE OF 5000TH TX ELECTRIC TAXI IN LONDON". LEVC. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  21. ^ "LEVC reveals new taxi-based range-extender delivery van". Autocar. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  22. ^ "LEVC VN5: name confirmed for taxi-based range-extender delivery van". Autocar. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  23. ^ "LEVC launches new VN5 electric van in Europe". Automotive World. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  24. ^ 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.
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