LEVC SOA: The Future of the Black Cab

Since 2018, LEVC has been producing the Black Cab TX5 – which generally runs purely on electricity but is equipped with a Volvo three-cylinder as a range extender – the taxi industry here is particularly conservative in the UK and is still waiting for a denser charging network, especially outside of London.

Nevertheless, LEVC already announced in 2020 that it would go fully electric, which will become possible thanks to "SOA". The Brits are likely to use the smallest base, meaning: 4.86 meters in length with a wheelbase of three meters. The model was already depicted on a sheet of the future "X-Space Family" as a "Sharing Space" model. A type of luxury van could be the slightly larger model named "Leisure Space," with which LEVC could expand its taxi portfolio upwards.

The taxi portfolio could become much larger in the future

And against the electric Vito in the long version, an electric van could be placed, offered as "Delivery Space" (cheaper) or "Business Space" (more expensive) depending on the price range. And for those who need a lot of space, there is a Sprinter derivative, called "Utility Space." Thus, LEVC could theoretically cover all kinds of passenger (and cargo) transportation.

All models, except for the taxi, are likely to be produced mainly in China as the modern Ansty plant is currently only set up for 20,000 TX-5 units per year. However, they just celebrated the production of the 10,000th TX 5 in five years. For such a specialized product like the Black Cab, this is a commendable achievement. Though the assembly line is fully occupied, there could still be potential for expansion in the future.

Regarding the batteries, only the "smaller" capacities (73 and 102 kWh) with a range of up to 363 and 495 kilometers respectively, are likely to be used – these were determined for the van, while for the taxi they could be slightly higher. That the TX 6 will come only after 2025 would make sense, as by then Geely will have switched from Domain Control to the more modern Central Supercomputing Architecture for the software, which allows for the integration of even more digital functions – digital taxi-specific services could also be developed in Ansty for this purpose.

Unfortunately, Managing Director Chris Allen remained extremely tight-lipped at the Round Table about the future of his Black Cabs, so we have to speculate ourselves here:

Option One: The TX 5 might still become electric, which would, however, require some constructive effort – though it wouldn't mean too much modification at Ansty. And since the TX5 is "only" five years old, it could follow with more years. However, the TX 5 would then run completely outside the SOA platform.

Option Two: More likely or sensible: The TX 5 will soon be followed by the fully electric TX 6 on the SOA platform – then the TX 5 would have a "normal" car lifecycle of seven to eight years, and the factory would be adjusted accordingly. Advantage: Besides the "Sharing Space" TX 6, other models could also be built in Ansty – and the plant could be utilized more efficiently.

Option Three: The TX 5 will receive a discreet model update and be built alongside the newly launched TX 6, which means handling an end-of-production model alongside a completely new line. The catch: The bodywork and structure of the TX 5 are very specific, which means this area would have to remain unchanged and both models could only be merged during final assembly. However, for the TX 6, a separate body production would be needed as complete delivery of the vehicles from China would be extremely logistically challenging.

All vans are likely to come from China and be equipped specifically for taxis in Ansty – and could offer up to four rows of seats. The prototype exhibited in Ansty with a 3.2-meter wheelbase already had this feature.

What does this mean?

LEVC has a great future – although absolutely nothing specific could be elicited from those responsible. In any case, Geely must be granted a lot of patience – especially considering the involvement in the UK with Lotus and LEVC, taking care of very small and special brands – which are cult in their own way and have great growth potential, but require a lot of money and, above all, patience.