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Greener Black Cabs to Coast Oslo's Streets as Export Deal Signed

Greener Black Cabs to Coast Oslo's Streets as Export Deal Signed

(Bloomberg) -- An electric version of London’s iconic black cab will start appearing on the streets of Oslo from February after its manufacturer signed a deal to start exporting the taxis to Norway.

It’s the second European export deal for London EV Co., which produces the TX eCity black cab at a facility near Coventry in England, and is owned by China’s Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd.

The new battery powered model was designed to meet London’s new pollution limits, but Geely wants to expand its reach beyond the U.K. Earlier this year it signed a deal to export the new all-electric hackney cab to the Netherlands, where they will be used by drivers in Amsterdam.

LEVC appointed Oslo-based Austoindustri, a unit of Gill Group, as its Norwegian importer for the taxi, though an initial sales volume has yet to be agreed, according to a spokesman who said they are still discussing how the vehicle will be classified by regulators in Norway. 

Geely wants to tap into the global market for low emissions vehicles. More than half of new cars sold globally will come with a plug by 2040, led by cities in Europe, China and the U.S., according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net, Rob Verdonck

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