China's Geely playing key role in cleaning-up London's air

Changes to vehicle regulations are being made in London to boost air quality. Geely is leading the way with its new TX5 taxi for the city.

The TX5 is set to be the first all-electric London black cab. [File Photo provided by LEVC]

London's iconic black cab taxi has undergone a transformation. New sleeker lines and bolder styling cover what could prove to be the most important development in the history of the design - a plug-in hybrid electric power system.

The TX5, as the new model is known, was unveiled by the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) in March of this year. LEVC is a wholly owned subsidiary of China's Geely.

In the months since the revolutionary design was unveiled, Geely's investment and design input into the project has proved to be good news for Londoners. 

London's Mayor Sadiq Khan has been in the process of implementing tough new measures to help improve air quality in the city. Older diesel models, along with other vehicles with high emissions, now face steeper penalties or even outright bans.

Meanwhile, Transport for London is experimenting with geo-fencing, to ensure that hybrid vehicles run only on their renewable sources of energy when in central London, and all new black cabs must be capable of running with zero emissions from 2018.

Clearly, LEVC's work on the TX5 will be crucial in making these aims achievable. However, the company doesn't intend to rest on its laurels.

From 2019, it will launch a van for the London market which will take advantage of the TX5 engine technology, making it available to the many thousands of couriers who currently operate diesel vehicles in the city.