Broadband ISP BT Trials Use of LEVC’s Converted Electric Taxis
The BT Group has announced that they’re testing two electric vans from LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company), which are actually TX taxis that have been converted to become prototypes of their new VN5 model. The new vans should complement Openreach’s recent move (here) to adopt a growing number of EVs into their fleet.
BT plans to use the vehicles in as many roles and locations around the UK as possible. For example, its “technology division” will use the vehicle for field engineers, starting with a Power Exchange Engineer, based in Wrexham, Wales, while its Supply Chain team will initially use a vehicle for logistics support in Northallerton, Yorkshire.
Due to the similarities between TX taxi and VN5, LEVC is working to deploy a fleet of converted TX electric taxis to act as VN5 prototypes, featuring a full interior van conversion ahead of the VN5’s official production start next month. The VN5 has a pure EV range of 61 miles and a total flexible range of more than 300 miles.
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Cyril Pourrat, BT’s Chief Procurement Officer, said:
“With the second largest commercial fleet in the UK, the switch to low and zero emissions vehicles is central to our carbon strategy and will help us to become a net zero emissions business by 2045. To speed up that transition, we’re calling on the UK Government to target 100% electric car and van sales by 2030, extend grants for electric vehicles and to unlock infrastructure investment to support the rollout of public charge-points across the country.”
A brand new VN5 tends to cost from £46,500 +vat.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and Linkedin.
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Are they intending to top up at exchanges or else the battery limit seems hardly worth it?
Sorry Mark, they’re not Electric taxis or Electric vans, they’re Hybrids.
Unless the ASA disagrees because joe public doesn’t know the difference:)
When Zoes have 200+ miles real world range and are down to about £200 a month on a lease I don’t see the point of hybrids.
Umm, higher mpg and lower emissions than a petrol but cheaper to buy than the EV, better range than the EV…
200 miles then charge may be just fine for some peoples needs, for others not. Until we have rapid charges in significant numbers at our service station and carparks EV’s are simply not viable on a mass scale in the UK yet
and how much telco equipment and how many engineers are you gonna pack into the back of your electric go kart, i mean Zoe?
So does that make it a “fake taxi” ?
That’s a telling comment, and the fact I say that has implications also 😉
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