LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) continues its European expansion with the appointment of Stern Lijnden: its first authorised sales and service dealer in the Netherlands.
Stern Lijnden will sell the TX Taxi and TX Shuttle variants from its site that covers the Amsterdam area and LEVC’s new electric van, VN5 will join the range following its European launch in Spring 2021.
Joerg Hofmann, LEVC CEO, says: “We are pleased to expand our official dealer network into another key European market with the appointment of Stern Lijnden, a highly experienced and professional automotive business in the Netherlands. The LEVC brand can now be introduced to a range of Dutch business owners who are keen to make the shift to greener mobility operations. It’s also another important milestone as we continue our export strategy to operate in 21 countries by the end of 2021.”
Stern Lijnden is the first authorised LEVC dealer in the Netherlands, providing sales and aftersales support to customers in Amsterdam and the surrounding region. Part of the nationwide Stern dealer group, Stern Lijnden, with LEVC as a key partner, will help local businesses planning to implement ‘shuttle on demand’ services by driving green mobility growth in the region. The introduction of LEVC will also benefit conventional taxi fleet operators looking to switch to greener vehicles.
Jasper Boxem, Site Manager at Stern Lijnden, said: “At Stern we believe that mobility is a primary necessity for life, and that people prefer individual mobility. Nothing provides a sense of freedom like deciding the time and location of departure and planning your own route. LEVC is a great addition to our product portfolio and offers a barrier-free mobility with its TX model. With the upcoming launch of the VN5 we will be able to offer a light commercial vehicle equipped to handle the needs of a commercial customer as well as the environmental agenda of urban areas.”
LEVC’s range of electric vehicles are ideally suited to the Netherlands market. Utilising LEVC’s eCity technology, 63 miles (101km) of zero emissions driving is possible and a total electrically driven range of over 300 miles (484 km) in both TX Taxi and TX Shuttle variants. Drivers can save more than €100 a week on fuel costs and more than 36,000 tonnes of CO2 have been saved from entering the atmosphere, based on 4,500 TX’s operating over one year.
The TX and TX Shuttle models will have high appeal thanks to low CO2 emissions of 19g/km. Car tax in the Netherlands – or Belasting van Personenautos en Motorrijwielen (BPM) – is calculated on CO2 rates, meaning that the TX could operate with an annual BPM as little as €456, a fraction of the cost compared to other popular taxi models.
TX offers space, comfort and practicality, combined with environmental friendliness and a small turning circle, a trademark of the iconic London ‘black cab’ – ideal credentials for city transportation. With seating for six passengers and wheelchair accessibility, all travellers enjoy standard features such as air conditioning, charging facilities for smartphones and laptops and the TX’s generous panoramic roof. A purpose-built partition screen separates the driver and passenger compartments and, with contactless payment in the rear, easy to clean surfaces and an intercom system that allows driver and passenger to always communicate clearly, travellers are kept as safe and protected as possible.
From next Spring, LEVC’s new electric van, VN5, will be launched in Europe. Operating in the one-tonne sector, VN5 shares the same bold, distinctive design and lightweight aluminium construction as TX, as well as its innovative eCity drivetrain technology. This gives a zero emissions capable range of 61 miles (98km)and a total flexible range of over 300 miles (484 km), and with up to 5.5m3 capacity, VN5 cargo capacity easily accommodates two Euro sized pallets with a gross payload of 830kg.
About LEVC
Since 2014, Geely has invested more than £500m into the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC), allowing it to build an entirely new manufacturing facility in Ansty, Coventry. L
EVC manufactures the world’s only purpose-built, range extended electric TX taxi and shuttle at its state-of-the-art factory and its new electric van, VN5, starts production in Q4 2020.
Having already established a new central European sales office in Frankfurt to increase LEVC’s presence across Europe, new markets in 2020 such as Middle East, New Zealand and Australia will continue to increase the company’s export footprint.
This strategy will see LEVC move from 90 percent domestic sales and 10 percent export to 60 percent export by 2022.
