Wednesday 22 March 2017

London’s black cabs go green

The manufacturer of London's black cabs has started building its new green headquarters and assembly plant.

The London Taxi Company's £300 million electric taxi factory in Ansty, Coventry will research innovative new technologies as well as produce new ultra low emission versions of the city's famous vehicles.

The 37,000m² sustainable building will include a production facility and office space - it will be able to assemble more than 20,000 vehicles a year.

It is expected have an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating and be ‘A’ rated for energy performance. The building will be host to 850m² of solar panels and 20 electric vehicle charging stations.

It has been designed to harvest waste heat from compressed air systems to warm the air and provide hot water, while rainwater will be collected for use in all of the facility’s toilets.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said: "Our iconic black cabs are famous across the world. The London Taxi Company’s impressive new factory and R&D facility showcases the innovation that makes the UK a world leader in the development of new automotive technologies."

It will be the first car factory constructed in the UK for more than 15 years and is expected to create around 1,000 new jobs.

The Mayor of London has confirmed the £10 ‘Toxicity Charge’ for London’s most polluting cars will start in October.

The UK Government is also facing calls to remove tax incentives for diesel vehicles.