Paris grants permission for launch of LEVC’s black cab

Geely-owned London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) will bring its electric taxi with range extender to Paris. A permit for the black cab has now been granted by the Paris authorities. The French capital is expected to receive the model called TX in the first half of 2019.

Since last year’s launch in London, the amount of TX cabs on the streets of Great Britain’s capital has climbed to almost 600. First foreign spots outside of London to welcome the black cab were Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg and Oslo. Paris is going to be the next big destination on the company’s expansion roadmap. A launch date shall be confirmed “once negotiations with the favoured importer have been completed”, LEVC said in a statement.

Paris is part of the C40 initiative of cities fighting climate change. As such, the French capital pledged to say “adieu” to combustion-powered cars by 2030 and diesel engine cars are likely to be banned even earlier, before the start of the Olympic Games in 2024 (we reported).

Meanwhile, LEVC intends to produce and offer its electrified London Taxis with range extender in China, too. Market launch is scheduled for 2019. The TX is designed to drive fully electric while a 1.5-liter gasoline engine supplied by Geely-owned Volvo charges the battery and stretches the range to up to 640 kilometres, according to LEVC. The upgrade to the new electric model will cost cabbies about 55,000 pounds but LEVC CEO Chris Gubbey says it will also save about 100 pounds on average weekly fuel costs.
uk.reuters.com, levc.com