Chinese company’s cabs chosen for innovative transport scheme

Chinese automotive group Geely has made an inroad into the European market after Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg, announced it will use the company’s TX electric taxis as part of a groundbreaking new city shuttle service.

Geely first invested in the British-based company now known as the London EV Company, or LEVC, in 2006. It took the company out of administration in 2013 and the enterprise has since become a major player in the global electric vehicle market.

In 2015, Geely built a new 250-million-pound ($325 million) facility at LEVC’s Coventry base, where London Black Cabs have been made since 1948. The new plant is devoted to the production of electric and low-emission taxis.

Having already launched the TX in Germany as a conventional taxi, it is now being deployed by on-demand transport company ioki.

The new service will be part of Hamburg’s wider public transport network, meaning customers can use existing travel cards. It will be bookable via an app, and the initial deployment will be in two areas of the city where current use of public transport is low because of problems accessing the wider system.

Rides will be from any address in the specified area to a transport connection point, or vice versa, in order to enable and encourage customers to use the wider Hamburg transportation network.

Operator ioki said it chose LEVC vehicles because of their zero-emissions credentials and their high-quality accessibility features, which include special features for passengers who are blind or deaf, wheelchair users, and people with prams.

“Our objective … is to increase mobility while reducing traffic,” said Berthold Huber from the railway company Deutsche Bahn, which is the owner of ioki. “The shuttle conveniently ties in with the existing public transport services. This will allow people to leave their cars at home.”

Chris Gubbey, CEO of LEVC, said he was “delighted” that the company was to be part of such an innovative scheme.

“We built the TX to tackle the mobility issues of the future, making this vehicle ideal for ioki’s use as a ride-sharing vehicle.

“We are delighted to be working with a firm that takes such a collaborative approach to working with regulators and local authorities – ultimately to create a more accessible transport system that works for everyone.”