London to get nuclear-powered taxis

Wednesday, 30 April 2008

The company which makes London's black cabs is to develop an electric-powered version, which it is promoting as a "zero-emission urban taxi" designed for congested urban areas.
 

Manganese Bronze's TX4

Manganese Bronze, based in Coventry, has signed an agreement with Tanfield to develop a battery powered version of its TX4 London cab - the TX4E. Tanfield subsidiary Smith Electric Vehicles claims to be the world's largest manufacturer of road-going commercial electric vehicles.

 

The new cab will be available from mid-2009 and could replace many of the UK capital's 20,000 licensed cabs. It will have a top speed of 80 km/hr and a range in excess of 160 km on one battery charge. It will be powered by an advanced electric drivetrain and an iron phosphate lithium-ion battery pack.

 

Tanfield told World Nuclear News that the technology will be Tanfield/Smith's well-proven all-electric system, recharged off-peak in six to eight hours, and capable of rapid top-up in an hour. Running costs are expected to be about half those of the present TX4 diesel version. 

 

Nuclear power provides 19% of the UK's generation mix and about one third of London's baseload electricity.