London Taxi Company confirms new plant will produce second vehicle

London Taxi Company has confirmed that the opening of its new £300m factory at Ansty Park will see the production of a second vehicle.

The factory’s primary purpose will be the production of the brand new electric and ultra-low emission black cab, designated TX5.

But the company, which unveiled the new production facility on Wednesday, has confirmed it is investing an additional £30m to herald the production of a dedicated, range-extended electric light commercial van (LCV).

The flexible and commercially competitive electric van is intended for fleet markets. It should help fleet owners lower their running costs, improve air quality and support cities in tackling the pollution crisis in urban areas – much the same as the new taxi.

Chris Gubbey, CEO of the London Taxi Company said: “This is going to be the future proofed ’white van’ that people have been waiting for. Designed solely for the urban commercial sector, dedicated to the people who keep our cities working, it will be clean, competitive and ready for cities of the future.”

Carl-Peter Forster, Chairman of the London Taxi Company said the development of the van was a transformative step for the company as for the first time, it moved away from being a single-product business.

“We remain absolutely committed to designing and manufacturing dedicated, range extended EVs that build upon our deep knowledge of advanced technologies and the needs of the urban commercial sector,” he said.

LTC’s 200-strong research and development team, now based at Ansty, has been developing the van in tandem with the new taxi.

Both vehicles will be based on the new core EV platform.

LTC said: “With this platform and manufacturing capability already in place (and) designed for flexible production from day one, the company can bring to market the new LCV through an incremental additional investment of around £30m, taking the total investment from parent company Geely to £325m.”

It added that importantly for drivers, the vehicle would be city-ready and benefit from improvements in charging infrastructure.

Zhou Jianqan, the head of Geely’s Commercial Vehicle Division, said: “I am extremely proud to see Geely’s investment in the London Taxi Company allow it to evolve beyond the taxi market.

“The light commercial van sector in cities across the globe holds enormous potential and urban leaders are embracing zero emissions at an incredibly rapid pace. This vehicle is a result of the new R&D team based at Ansty and will complement Geely’s global expertise in electric vehicle technology adding to the world class talent across the group.”