More than half of London's popular taxis are now electric

If you're in London and want to hail one of the iconic black cabs, there's a good chance you'll take a ride with the sound of silence.

More than half of London's fleet of 14,700 black London taxis are already electric vehicles, while the rest are hybrids. The diesel ones have been completely removed, Telegrafi reports.

A new announcement from manufacturer LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company), which has been owned by China's Geely since 2012, states that more than 50 percent of London's black cabs are now “battery electric vehicles ”, most of which are produced by Geely.

While the first EV taxis hit London's roads in 2018, the number of electric models has increased by 10 percent in the last month alone.

The rest of the fleet are black hybrid taxis. The name of these models is Geely TX5 and they have a built-in generator in the form of a 1.5 liter gasoline engine that extends the autonomy when the battery "explodes".

However, given that the entire fleet was exclusively diesel not long ago, it's a big step in the right direction.

"Achieving this small jubilee is a great reflection of how hard London is working to become a greener, more sustainable and environmentally friendly city," said Helen Chapman of TfL (local government body - Shipping to London).

"London's black cabs are popular. around the world and we are proud to see so many drivers helping to clean up the air," Chapman added.

What makes London's black cabs unique is that, in addition to working as independent drivers and being licensed under TfL's strict rules, taxi drivers are renowned for their knowledge and ability to locate landmarks in the city with absolute accuracy .

Taxi drivers study for up to three years and spend large sums of money to get that education. Each taxi driver in London spends around £10 on their education.

TfL has already required all new taxis licensed in London to be zero-emission from 2018, and the rule was extended to private bus firms last year.

Of course, drivers of more polluting vehicles had to pay a daily price of £12.50 to operate in London's ultra-low emission zone.

Most of London's taxi services are committed to fully electric fleets by 2025. London's largest taxi operator, Addison Lee, which, in addition to London's iconic black cab, also has a model VW ID.4 in its fleet aims to achieve this goal by 2023. /Telegrafi/