The London Taxi Company (LTC) has made Chargemaster its preferred supplier of home charging equipment for the business’ new range-extended electric taxi.

Chargemaster, which was awarded the contract following a competitive tender process, has supplied more than 30,000 Homecharge units to UK electric vehicle drivers to date and is the official charging partner to a number of automotive manufacturers, including Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Nissan and Renault.

Using a new website, LTC retailers and customers will be offered an end-to-end service, from initial enquiry through to charging point installation, customer handover and training. All units will have a five-year warranty.

David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster, said: “Inner city air quality is an issue that must be tackled quickly, and LTC’s new range-extended electric taxi offers one of the most effective solutions. By choosing to work with Chargemaster, LTC is ensuring that its customers benefit from the extensive knowledge of our nationwide Homecharge installation team, making it as easy as possible to go zero emissions. We’re delighted that LTC has chosen to work with Chargemaster, a UK designer and manufacturer or charging infrastructure, for its new British-built taxi.”

Redesigned from the ground up, LTC’s new taxi has been engineered to meet the demanding duty cycle of taxi cabs and will allow drivers to complete a day’s inner city driving without affecting local air quality. In addition, overnight charging will mean  reduced fuel costs for drivers – whilst its range extender will act as a back-up generator for drivers, removing any potential range anxiety.

Richard Turnbull, head of infrastructure at LTC, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Chargemaster, which will provide our customers with a proven home charge solution using technology that has been specifically selected to support the next generation of range-extended electric taxi.

“The new taxi is currently undergoing the most comprehensive product quality testing programme in our 98-year history, and we’re keen to ensure that our all partners meet a similar quality standard.” 

LTC’s new taxi will be launched later this year and will go on sale in international markets in 2018. The new taxi will be produced at LTC’s new manufacturing facility in Ansty, West Midlands. This is part of LTC’s £325 million project to produce range-extended electric taxis and vans for use in cities around the world. As well as an electric powertrain, the new cab will be able to seat six passengers and offer front-facing wheelchair access.

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