Electric Black Cabs hit London’s streets - BBC London News

[@jacksonmg1]

Did anyone notice it’s a Volvo cockpit?

[@darraghmckenna9127]

LEVC's parent firm Geely also owns Volvo so it's no surprise they share interior parts

[@G1NZOU]

Yes, and pretty sensible choice, by using parts that have been designed for Volvo they can save money in the interior by not paying for extra design work to design new interior buttons and details from scratch, much better to cut costs that way than by skimping on reliability or quality.

[@LiftEnthusiast2020OFFTOPIC]

The TX4 shared parts with the LDV Convoy

[@johnnyboy3949]

It has a petrol generator. So what it is is a hybrid. They have invented a hybrid taxi. Not really big news is it.

[@blackpheonix6703]

True

[@pareshpanchal91]

Petrol engine isn't used to drive the vehicle, it is used to charge the battery pack

[@RyanSargent]

Daniel Pickering I think the only perfect use case would be for inductive charging at taxi ranks because the taxis always have to shuffle forward so a plug in cable would be restrictive.

[@pareshpanchal91]

Ryan Sargent good point, could also put them in sections of road where taxis tend to wait like at train stations, I would hope that the company making these will respond to feedback and improve on them

[@Neme112]

It IS full electric. It's not half or 3/4 electric. It has an electric motor with a 100% electric power train. Energy storage is another question. That's like saying that every electric car ever is not fully electric if the electricity comes from a fossil fuel powered grid.

[@keishilafaiki7351]

it's good how they kept the original design from the old one

[@UrbanStories]

Keishi Lafaiki they wouldn’t make the design too different, because it’s one of London’s main icons.

[@prasaanthmanohar1890]

When I went to Amsterdam, nearly all the taxis from the airport were Tesla Model S. It would be nice to see something like that here in Central London.. However, as they mentioned in the video.. They need rapid power charging facilities.

[@jaapkr7520]

It's a hybrid.

[@G1NZOU]

The Tesla Model S is not wheelchair compatible.

[@emad7229]

dislekt 3.0 hahha grappig ik weet nog een keer dat ik eerder op youtube een gesprek met jou had

[@jaapkr7520]

Em Ad hé! Ben jij dr ook?😃

[@UrbanStories]

Prasaanth Manohar I’ve noticed that as well in Amsterdam, but as far as I know it’s just one private taxi company doing that there.

[@YouTube2021FM]

Also, how are they zero emissions with a petrol generator?!

[@Pikminiman]

Because with 80 miles of all-electric range per charge, it is very nearly zero-emissions on the scale of the car's lifespan. True, the word "zero" is incorrect, but it genuinely is close enough that I'm just impressed at how significant a step this vehicle program will be for the widespread awareness for electric cars.

[@YouTube2021FM]

According to the 2016 Taxi survey, London taxi drivers drive on average 300 miles a day. 70 Miles emission free isn't even a quarter of their total emissions. This taxi is pointless, especially when it'll be charged up by slow charging points due to the lack of high speed in the city.

[@G1NZOU]

What they mean by zero emissions is when in full electric mode it's not contributing to pollution in the immediate vicinity, as someone who's visited London many times you can't mistake the smell of all those cars on the streets, all those exhaust gasses from vehicles which half the time are standing still in congestion.

[@YouTube2021FM]

Yes, but also completely irrelevant if for over 2/3 of the day they're still emitting just as much - but now they're emitting more to carry around the weight of the battery.

[@thetechlibrarian]

mattferg100 yeah but a generator is a lot smaller than a full sized engine, I truly believe that’s the best way to go with a e car

[@AlexBell333]

What accent does the cabbie have?? I can’t quite work it out

[@Sam-mq9cj]

Irish, but a bit diluted with him being in London for a few years

[@kamkam8292]

Alex Bell it's a game to rip the cabbies off, why can't they have their old ones to gas.

[@taranbasi1457]

Wow they’re made in the city I live in but haven’t seen any of these here yet 😂

[@UrbanStories]

LifezLife yes me neither

[@Kniffel101]

Why are they making them Hybrids? 70 miles is _nothing,_ they could easily go *at least* 150 miles, if they went with an all-electric car.

[@josephbrennan-davison]

Kniffel101 money is the whole reason, I agree we need all electric cars and vehicles

[@homeofthemad3044]

Kniffel101 You can go around 400 miles with a normal car.

[@RyanSargent]

The BYDs in Birmingham do 190 miles per charge. You don't really need more for a city.

[@Kniffel101]

Home of the Mad And you can go more than 620miles in an electric car, what's your point? 😋

[@Kniffel101]

Ryan Sargent Yeah, might be true. But 200 miles is a magic number and 100 the absolute minimum an EV should go in the year 2017. But since it's a Hybrid, it's not THAT big of a deal, just *very* disappointing, I think.

[@Abhiman9596]

Can someone explain me how they are zero emission cabs when they still have petrol generators or basically an engine?

[@UrbanStories]

Abhijeet Sharma it’s just a catchy phrase everyone likes to use :)

[@aziz00almubarak]

its the same car but electric said (a whole new experience)

[@CodeLeeCarter]

About bloody time, now do the same with the buses and other regular vehicles.

[@UrbanStories]

Alien Aren’t some of the new double-deckers hybrid already?

[@zivkovicable]

You are more likely to see a 0 emission bus in London than a 0 emission cab.

[@dbsirius]

So now black cabs can sneak up on you.

[@j-boogiebrown9961]

Warbouys would've loved it.

[@rowanmason3428]

A Tesla model X can do 350 miles 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@xjmdm]

yeah and how much does it cost

[@ejohnSB]

Its free if charge in fast charging by tesla.I’m drving the model x for one year already.If you charge those fast charging by tesla its for free for life.

[@RyanSargent]

I'm confused, is it fully electric or is it a REx or PHEV?

[@RyanSargent]

So it's a REx like the BMW i3. If it has a petrol engine it can't be a "fully electric" EV, like cliamed in the description. It's electrified, there's a difference. I was wondering if the REx was the only option or like the i3 is can be a REx or a BEV.

[@pareshpanchal91]

Ryan Sargent yes it's like a rex,that's my understanding

[@mateenabdul4593]

Are they gonna use this in Fake Taxi?

[@gbrfan6644]

0:12 Aston Martin DB11

[@Musicislife4000]

you blind?? that's a DB11

[@gbrfan6644]

My bad!

[@notadrian99]

you should get yours eyes checked...

[@gbrfan6644]

Already have

[@User-ol1il]

Yeah

[@MrWhite-pn7ui]

It's a hybrid, not "fully electric".

[@YMC888]

Just a shame about their extortionate prices per mile!

[@ColinRichardson]

Extortionate prices per mile? I am not sure about the prices in London, but my 1 litre petrol car costs 10.5p per mile, electric would be 1.3p per mile. And my electricity prices are getting cheaper each year, the petrol prices are still going up.

[@Akmak]

My guy said its "luxury"

[@akhilajay8362]

Anyone saw the Aston Martin DB11?

[@abdullaharshad5350]

akhil ajay 0:12

[@نادر-ت8ن]

what about it?

[@80skid83]

And ?

[@imahmud]

I may have seen this cab in Marble Arch about two years ago. Never seen it again. They aren't very popular.

[@jamiep3196]

There is no such thing as zero emissions there are emissions generated at the power plant but nobody looks at this. With electric vehicles, tax on electricity will go up because the government will lose money from diesel and petrol sales dropping. Also the country can barely cope when people put the kettle on in the middle of coronation street How are they going to cope when people get home and charge their cars

[@jamiep3196]

Daniel Pickering What does that equate to 1 windmill every 3feet They don't provide enough And it will be years before they do At the current moment in time they are not zero emmission.

[@owendavies3786]

Jamie Price but it is still better than petrol cars

[@jamiep3196]

DO 01 No because the car weighs more The batteries are either hauling the engine or the engine is hauling the batteries Top gear did a test for fuel efficiency Prius vs m3 and the m3 was more efficient because it wasn't hauling all of the dead weight around

[@jamiep3196]

Daniel Pickering So why is car tax lower for electric cars. they call them emmission free and road tax is based on emissions. So they can't put road tax up just for electric cars they would put it up for everything The problem is people go "oh look electric is cheaper we will swap to it" then the government realise they aren't making enough money so tax goes up again. They are trying to get us out of cars completely if they convert everyone to electric how are young drivers going to get insurance on cars which have more bhp?

[@TheWeepingDalek]

What does that equate to 1 windmill every 3feet? no. a simple nuclear power plant. nuclear plants are 0 emissions. or 1 hyrdoelectric damn. or if you live in iceland. geothermal plant.

[@rahelbakir8520]

The fake taxi guy should switch to this, it's realy quiet

[@user-hs2hd7wp9g]

£55k for 70 miles of range? Why don't they just buy a slightly used Model S?

[@UrbanStories]

Simon Vuille if you’re driving a black cab, you can’t really choose a different model, it’s a city standard.

[@rowanmason3428]

A Tesla can do 350 miles 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@jakcarn4184]

Why introduce a new gen cab when it's inevitably a dying trade. How long before the cab manufacturers stop making any black cabs in the future?

[@MrDanielfff777]

It should be a dead trade but the govt wont let it

[@Shedspider]

After 6 weeks of driving one of the the new E-taxis Considering that this is supposed to be a purpose built taxi, it is surprising that no one thought to ask a working taxi driver what the driver actually needs in that little cockpit at the front where they spend almost half their life. I have noticed many simple design faults over the last month, all which could have been avoided if actual working taxi drivers were consulted during the design stage. 1) The nearside passenger yellow left hand handhold is too close to the bulkhead, so close that almost every person that I have asked cannot get their knuckles through the space. Therefore can only use the strength of the fingers to pull themselves and cannot use their full hand to grip the handle. 2) Something as simple as somewhere to hang a coat is missing. So it is either wear it or put it on the floor. The TXII and TX4 had a simple hook fitted in the luggage area so not too hard to rectify. (Drivers. A shower vacuum suction cup with hook bought cheaply from ebay is strong enough to hold a coat up off the floor) 3) Another thing missing is anywhere to keep receipt pads and a pen. There is enough spare space to have one fitted or moulded into the large center console otherwise its just a case of leaving them on the center console in front of the gear lever and hope that they dont fall off when corning. 4) There is nowhere to put a money bag or change/coin machine. None. Zero. The door pockets are too narrow to even fit an empty bag, in fact the door pockets are too small to fit almost anything in except maybe a newspaper or a few receipt pads. 5) Overhead storage pockets. If you want to put anything up there, forget about it. Anything in the open pockets will slide out and hit you in the face if you need to put your foot down and accelerate. Ive jammed an old cap in one to stop things sliding out onto my head. 6) Drivers interior lights . . . or rather the lack of drivers interior lights. Two tiny little LED (3/4" ?) lights fitted in the middle of the drivers cabin are worse than useless especially as one is pointed down into the luggage area. Bright lighting directly over the drivers area is something that is needed when working nights to do such basic things like writing receipts, giving correct change, reading a book or newspaper when ranked up etc NOT a single dim 3/4" LED light over the center console. 7) Drivers interior light switch(s) are in the middle of the drivers cabin ceiling. There are 4 small, smooth and close together 4 buttons that a child would have trouble operating without looking directly at them. These buttons need to be big and separate enough that a raised hand can find them without looking. Two buttons or switches is all that would be needed. Driver and passenger. Simple really if someone was to actually think about it. (I have been told by a passenger that the lights and switches are from the Volvo XC90) 8) Why is there a sun visor with a vanity mirror and light fitted to the front luggage area ? 9) As the taxi body has been widened but the overall width has been kept the same, the door mirrors have been made smaller. BIG mistake. HUGE mistake. There are now really large blind spots on both sides of the vehicle, that combined with the reduced view from the rear mirror makes this a potential threat to someones life (probably a cyclist) I have been forced to order 2 of the small driving instructor mirrors to fit to the existing mirrors to reduce the blind spots before someone is injured. 10) Drivers lockable underseat box. 6 weeks and still waiting for it to be delivered Apart from the various software issues the taxi is having I'm sure there was something else about design faults that i have forgotten but im sure that I'll sit in the cab tomorrow and remember it I havent mentioned the battery range (average high 40's to low 50's) because this could be my driving style but im writing down daily mileage and anything that could effect the range. Things like what the weather was like on the day because when it was cold the passengers wanted the heaters on and when its raining and the wipers are on all day plus heaters, demisters etc the battery gets chewed up. I am NOT looking forward to the summer when the passengers want the A/C on.

[@thomasconboy4636]

Cabs al over world in city’s should be electric

[@coollad5693]

plug-in hybrid

[@blackpheonix6703]

The new black cab taxis look uglier than the old one. For £50,000 at least make a good looking one, phone up Tesla they can make a better looking higher range and more luxurious taxi for around the same money or slightly less.

[@PeteS_1994]

BlackPheonix I would rather they make it look like a modern version of the iconic London Taxi. A design similar to Tesla wouldn't be the same as an iconic London Taxi.

[@blackpheonix6703]

Pete S. Fare point, but sometimes change is better.

[@PeteS_1994]

I also agree it could have been designed better, I just think having it designed like a Tesla doesn't suit the London taxi.

[@PeteS_1994]

Speaker Sex London isn't New York though

[@blackpheonix6703]

Pete S. That’s true but if London gave Tesla a clear rough design they would be able to make a nicer looking versions

[@miamor5929]

Better than tesla 😂

[@shanti016]

The current Hybrid amd EV taxis technology doesn't work for HK because too costly and time consuming to run them.

[@Cloudrak]

Good, but cycling is still better for the environment.

[@quoderatdemonstrandum7215]

No mentioning they are originally from China?

[@YouTube2021FM]

70 miles?! pathetic

[@YouTube2021FM]

L Reid the technology is already way past this point, this is very outdated.

[@CallOfBrians]

a Tesla Model S can do 350 mile on a charge, 70 miles is pathetic

[@danm4320]

In a city with taxi stands, 70 is not bad

[@arda_]

SWFC. It is a hybrid. 70 miles on electric mode is normal for hybrids. How the hell do you compare a small battery hybrid to a Tesla with 100kwh battery?

[@ColinRichardson]

Not a hybrid, Hybrids turn the wheels from engine AND electric. This is a REX (Range extender) as the only thing turning the wheels is electric. REX basically is an on-board electric generator.

[@xenongames7533]

50000 pounds of debt

[@ashikaraut5762]

It should be adopted in every country.it will close the oil industry and weak oil exporting Islamic gulf countries.

[@xjmdm]

it has a petrol generator, Ashika. it runs on petrol.

[@UrbanStories]

Ashika Raut don’t forget that producing electricity is not the most environmentally friendly process either.

[@ashikaraut5762]

Urban Stories electricity can be produced from solar and wind which is environment friendly.

[@UrbanStories]

Ashika Raut yes and I strongly believe that’s the future of energy, but at the moment the vast share of world energy is produced from mined resources, so electric cars are not the only solution, energy production shift is what’s going to make the main difference.

[@abdullaharshad5350]

The country i live has some Tesla's as taxi's (only some)

[@scottvik]

And it’s EVEN uglier.. amazing.. how is that possible really?

[@thorbjrnmadsen4984]

Scott Vik Why do people call cars ugly for no reason

[@UrbanStories]

Scott Vik Bergstrøm it’s one of those things you get used to after seeing every day.

[@dawid8844]

Typical tfl with high standards for everyone else and they've done nothing in return.

[@josedourado3747]

Petrol ads a fail

[@LucyMichela]

It's great and all but it looks stupid!

[@swissyodeler6970]

londonistan

[@kamkam8292]

all a game to rip taxi drivers off, been in this game too long, why can't they convert to gas the old ones.its cheaper and I bet it will have less emissions.

[@mazemurphy845]

Up ra oh a up ra

[@theoriginalgamerhd6477]

BlackCab way too bumpy

[@thorbjrnmadsen4984]

TheOriginalGamerHD Look at older car from 1950s. They're even more bumpier.

[@maxpayne3824]

Dying trade ....Uber is the future

[@MrDanielfff777]

true

[@Ukamb]

It's worst taxi ever and too expensive and only last 60 miles then you have to drive miles to charge

[@tassolajee6305]

and its chinese .

[@Hanan-xi5sn]

I like diesel we should say to everyone to get new diesel cars I hate electric cars I love diesel cars better get a new diesel car then

[@abo0od1996]

hybrid cars are better than electric

[@thorbjrnmadsen4984]

Abdullah With that way you said it. I agree that hybrid cars are better than shitty electric cars!

[@johnsonslawnserviceministr4038]

First you English illuminate guns from your lawn force meant now you Walt all vehicles to be without exhaust pipe by the way How that crime rate working out with no guns for the officers

[@j-boogiebrown9961]

"Lawn force meant"? Seriously??

[@williamthebutcherssonprodu227]

Nope

[@kristiyanivanov5055]

New fake taxi

[@miniena7774]

Ooh! 😯