China’s Geely plans to turn maker of iconic London black cabs into EV powerhouse
- London Electric Vehicle Company plans to develop a suite of mobility services for its EVs, including cars arranging their own maintenance, executives say
- LEVC and Geely will also seek new partners to develop its zero-emission technology
London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) also aims to expand its suite of services, which include cars arranging their own maintenance and recognising their owner’s interests to help them book activities.
“We need a developed product portfolio. We need to make big investments in terms of the technology and infrastructure,” LEVC chief executive Alex Nan said at the taxi maker’s headquarters in Coventry, central England. “Geely will make consistent investments into LEVC because this is a very unique project.”
LEVC builds a hybrid taxi model that starts at around £66,000 (US$81,500), which has a battery providing 64 miles (103km) of range and a petrol range-extender giving it a total range of more than 300 miles. The company’s business was hit hard by the pandemic and it laid off 140 staff in October.
Nan said LEVC and Geely would seek to attract other investors to its zero-emission portfolio and would look to partner with other carmakers to develop new technology.
