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UK made Electric London cabs scheduled for next year
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23/04/2008
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London black cab maker Manganese Bronze has announced a development agreement with The Tanfield Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial electric vehicles, to develop a battery powered, zero emission urban taxi to be introduced in 2009.
The all-electric version of Manganese Bronze’s TX4 black cab - to be branded the TX4E – will have a top speed of 50mph and a range in excess of 100 miles on one battery charge. It is specifically designed for taxi operations in congested urban areas.
The TX4E will contain all the conventional features of the TX4, but will be powered by Tanfield’s advanced electric drive train and Iron Phosphate lithium-ion battery pack. Based on current electricity prices, it is estimated the TX4E will cost less than 4p per mile to run, therefore providing significant whole life cost savings over an equivalent diesel vehicle.
The initial cost of the TX4E is however likely to be higher than the diesel powered TX4. The target date for the launch of the TX4E is mid 2009 following engineering assessment and customer testing.
The TX4E will be manufactured in the UK.
Manganese Bronze CEO John Russell said the company was committed to playing a leading role in tackling emissions and the TX4E was an exciting new development that gave it first mover advantage in an expanding global marketplace.
At Tanfield, chief executive Darren Kell said the company’s cutting edge battery and drive train technology answered many of the issues raised by urban private passenger transport – rising fuel costs, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Author
Ken Hurst
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