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London cab to go all electric next year
By Yoann Besnard on 28 April 2008 | 
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London black cab maker Manganese Bronze has announced that it will release the TX4E, all-electric version of Manganese Bronze’s TX4 black cab.
If London mayor, Ken Livingstone, is happy to charge polluting Chelsea tractors, he never complained about the pollution generated by London taxis despite being among the most polluting vehicles around London. That will change next year when Manganese Bronze releases the TX4E.
The british manufacturer will develop the TX4E with The Tanfield Group, a leading manufacturer of commercial electric vehicles. It will have a top speed of 50mph and a range in excess of 100 miles on one battery charge. It will be specifically designed for taxi operations in congested urban areas.
The TX4E will contain all the conventional features of the TX4, but will be powered by Tanfield’s advanced electric drive train and Iron Phosphate lithium-ion battery pack. Based on current electricity prices, it is estimated the TX4E will cost less than 4p per mile to run, therefore providing significant whole life cost savings over an equivalent diesel vehicle.
The initial cost of the TX4E is however likely to be higher than the diesel powered TX4.
