New Electric Range-Extender London Taxi heading for the Goodwood Hillclimb

The new electric range-extender London Taxi is heading for a UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week ahead of going on sale.

It’s a year since The London Taxi Company revealed they’d raised £275 million through parent Geely to develop and build a new electrified TX5 London Taxi. And it’s soon to go on sale.

What exactly London Cabbies will make of a Black Cab with a petrol range-extender engine and the ability to run on electricity for a chunk of the time we’re not sure, but taking smoking diesel Cabs of London’s roads should have quite an impact on air quality, although it’s not going to happen overnight.

Built at a new Plant in Coventry, London Taxi are being a bit cagey about exactly what the new electric Black Cab offers, but it looks like it’s been tested to death already and will deliver enough range for just one top-up a day to cope with the average Cabbie’s 150-200 mile daily drive.

For those who use London Taxis, and those who drive them, the first chance to see the electric Black Cab in action will be at the Goodwood Festival of SPeed this week, with the electric Black Cab on display in the ‘First Glance’ Paddock and inaction up the Hillclimb in the capable hands of 17 year old Katie Milner – Ginetta Champion, no less.

On sale later this year, the new electric Black Taxi comes just in time for new zero emissions rules for London Taxis which start on January 1 2018, and it’s though London Cabbies will be eligible for a grant of around £7.5k to make the switch to ‘Clean’ taxis.