Electric London Taxi Stays Cool in Arizona Heat

LONDON – The latest iconic London Black Cab has undergone some serious testing away from its urban comfort zone – in the furnace heat of the Arizona desert.

This electric-powered taxi for the U.K. capital’s clean-air future has survived extreme-climate testing to prove the distance the vehicle can cover while the air conditioning is running at full power.

On sale in fourth-quarter 2017, London Taxi Co.’s TX5 electric taxi will be the most comprehensively tested product in the company’s history, to ensure it meets not only the high regulatory standards of London but also the requirements and climates of cities around the world.

On these trials, the vehicle successfully drove daily journeys of 300 miles (480 km) , the equivalent of driving from Heathrow Airport to Central London some 20 times, which is roughly triple the average daily mileage of the typical London cab. However, desert traffic was less severe.

LTC says this shows despite additional pressure of extreme heat on the battery, the cab still can cover considerable distances with maximum comfort for paying customers.

“Since announcing this project we have had considerable interest not just from European cities but hot weather cities around the world,” Chris Gubbey, CEO of LTC, says. “To convert this interest into sales, we must prove the TX5 can perform as well in the 45 °C  (115˚ F) heat of Dubai as it can in the subzero temperatures of the Arctic, and as it does in the changeable conditions of London.”