LEVC is backed by Geely to further black cab electrification

Globalisation is a key word for the EV industry. Automotive manufacturers with multinational footprints are helping others to change the way they operate. 

China’s biggest player in automotive, Geely is planning to invest heavily in a company that will reinvigorate London’s streets with cleaner methods of transportation.

The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) is looking to expand its services in an effort to meet the climate demands of the city, but also leverage the digitalisation benefits that come from EVs. Such innovations will allow the LEVC to make the cars work for the business, by enabling each vehicle to schedule its own maintenance and understand their owners’ trends to personalise driving and updates. 

“We need a developed product portfolio. We need to make big investments in terms of technology and infrastructure,” says Alex Nan, CEO of LEVC.

“Geely will make consistent investments into LEVC because this is a very unique product.” ​​​​​​​

Widening scope for EVs globally

Firstly, this goes to show how electrification is breaking down the barriers for companies to work together with multinational businesses, but also presents great benefits for the manufacturers of conventional automobiles to quickly expand their portfolios. 

An organisation with a global presence is able to support a company that was impacted greatly by the coronavirus pandemic and bring its vision to fruition. Currently, LEVC offers a hybrid taxi, which is valued at around £66,000, and is capable of travelling 64 miles on battery range and 300 miles of hybrid range. 

While many cab drivers have witnessed the benefits of driving an ultra-low-emission vehicle (ULEV), the battery range of the vehicle might still be shy of charging just once a day. However, according to a black cab owner in conversation with the Green Alliance, cab drivers in London average around 70 to 80 miles per day, and many customers live beyond the ultra-low-emissions zones (ULEZ). 

Geely is a big investor in electrification

Geely is rapidly increasing its presence as a sustainable automaker, particularly with a £2bn investment in the British-born luxury sports car manufacturer, Lotus. As a result of the investment, Lotus has launched the sale of its first daily-driver electric car, and will say goodbye to internal combustion with the release of its final petrol-powered car, the Lotus Emira. 

The public, and electric car enthusiasts, also await the record-breaking innovation that is the Lotus Evija, which featured in the first ever issue of EV Magazine. 

When it comes to other activities, the investment in LEVC marks excitement, following the pressures imposed by the fall of its first potential EV battery maker, Britishvolt. 

“We need to make sure the UK environment as a whole is competitive and has its position on the world stage,” says Chris Allen, Managing Director of LEVC. 

As a result, Geely is committed to supporting LEVC’s team to provide successful transformation to London.

“Geely fully supports the new transition strategy laid out by LEVC’s board and executive team,” the company says. 

Allen also believes that, with expansion of operations from a single site in Coventry, LEVC could increase its EV output from 3,000 taxis a year to 20,000. This could potentially mean leveraging production support from China. 

“There’s a huge amount of value in our product that hasn’t ever been maximised,” says Allen. 

“This is about growing LEVC into a much more recognisable brand on a global scale and expanding our product offering into as many spaces as we can.”

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