AVRUPA TIMES/LONDON-Cost effective ERAD replacements could herald new era for electric black cab owners. The eAxle made its debut within Volvo’s T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid lineup, earning the Automotive News PACE Innovation Award in 2016. In these vehicles, GKN Driveline’s technology serves a ‘axle split’ function, delivering power to the rear wheels through a 60kW electric motor, while a combustion engine propels the front wheels. For the LEVC TX, the eAxle takes on a more central role as the primary drive mechanism, equipped with a stronger 120kW electric motor. This setup is complemented by a small petrol engine located at the taxi's front, which extends the vehicle's range by charging the battery pack, ensuring the taxi is propelled electrically at all times. The TX boasts an official pure-electric range of about 80 miles, which extends to a total of 377 miles with the assistance of the petrol generator.Engineered specifically for the LEVC, the coaxial eAxle has been tailored to suit the unique driving dynamics required by the vehicle. While it shares its fundamental design with the Volvo plug-in hybrids' eAxle, it incorporates specific features designed to meet a distinct set of performance criteria. This bespoke unit is notable for its light weight, under 17Kg, and its mechanical efficiency, which can reach up to 97.5%.
I.D Taxis unveiled an ERAD replacement service for £2,495 plus VAT, a figure significantly lower than the daunting £4,000-£5,000 repair costs currently facing drivers. Accompanied by a one-year warranty, the development could alleviate one of the most burdensome expenses for cab owners.
Irfan Davulcular / ID TAXI
TIMES: Irfan, can you start off by telling the cab trade how this all came about please because I know this will be great news for all concerned owners of TXE taxis.
Irfan: Yes of course, at IDTAXIS we were keen to strengthen the cab trade for Vehicles "outside of warranty" and we were aware that was developing in the taxi trade where owners of TXe taxis were that once out of warranty the cost of keeping a TXe was becoming a major worry and with LEVC recently increasing the cost of their warranties to around #5,500 ( potentially £6,500 with additional costs) many of them said that they were playing" Russian Roulette" in keeping their cab out of warranty.
Many drivers I know are scared of not being in warranty especially with the Erad being the major worry. I know this news will make the driver feel a bit more secure and hopefully keep their lovely cab they now have and not have to go running to the shop to buy a new taxi every 3 years. We had an internal meeting and decided we were going to develop a more affordable solution to help the drivers keep their cabs.
TIMES: And what is the situation now
Irfan: I am very happy to say that IDTAXIS have the solution to the trades worries and we are delighted to inform the trade. This has taken months of development and testing and we also fitted our replacement Erads to some working TXE taxis and the results, we are glad to say, have been fantastic
TIMES: What is the cost ?
Irfan: The best news is that we are pleased to announce that the replacement trad Will be £2,495 + VAT this compares with between E4k - E5k offered elsewhere. The replacement Erad also comes with a 40k miles / 1 year warranty (What ever comes first ). Our replacement Erad has been carefully constructed to be as, if not more reliable but at a fraction of the cost. We hope this will resolve the major worries drivers face keeping their TXe Outside of warranty,
TIMES:
This is great news for drivers Irfan, when will the Erads be available?
Irfan: We are happy to say that we have stock and die ready to go.
VERAD Pr. by LD Taxis Tried and Tested
ERAD replacement for £2495 +VAT fitted
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