The plant in Ansty, Coventry, is where the world’s first purpose-built, mass-market electric taxi will be built.
LTC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Geely, has invested more than £300m (RM1.7bil) in the new site and the next-generation London taxi, which will be produced at the plant and exported around the world.
The site has the capacity to build more than 20,000 vehicles per year - vehicles designed to be the best ultra-low emission commercial vehicles in the world. The taxi vehicle is using Volvo Car electric powertrain system technologies and components comprising a new EV light weight platform, while retaining the design heritage recognised around the world. Further derivatives of this new EV architecture will follow.
All vehicles produced at this plant will go through the most stringent testing regime in the company’s history. Each test vehicle will cover almost 500,000km, often in extreme conditions, to ensure that no city is off-limits.
The all new electric taxi goes on sale first in London in quarter four 2017, and then around the world in early 2018. LTC said the new vehicle would be competitive with substantially lower fuel costs than its previous taxis.
The fully integrated factory – from research through to production – will also become a globally connected research and development centre in electric vehicle powertrains and lightweight aluminum body structures, which will be applied in all vehicles made at the plant.
LTC CEO Chris Gubbey,
