GKN Driveline said it was supplying a new variant of its coaxial eAxle for the new electrified TX 'London black cab' made by LEVC (London EV Company, formerly known as London Taxi Company).
The eAxle was first launched in Volvo Car's T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrids where it has an axle split secondary drive role with a 60kW electric motor driving the rear wheels while the combustion engine drives the front.
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For the TX, the eAxle is always the primary drive unit and has a 120kW motor. A small petrol engine at the front provides range-extender electricity to the battery pack so the taxi is always powered electrically. Pure electric driving range is around 80 miles (120km) according to official test figures and the petrol generator extends that to 377 miles.
Core eAxle design is shared with Volvo's. The unit weighs under 17kg and has mechanical efficiency of up to 97.5%.
Phil Swash, GKN Driveline CEO, said: "NOx reduction is a key target of global cities and developing cleaner, more efficient taxis will play a significant role in achieving that.
"This project is another showcase for our scalable eAxle technologies, which are enablers of cost-effective plug-in hybrid and range-extended electric models."
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By GlobalDataThe components are tightly packaged, with reduction gearbox, open differential, driveshaft section and electric motor sharing a connected housing.
This level of integration has significant benefits when it comes to packaging the unit within the new taxi's chassis, GKN said.
As the combustion engine never provides power directly to the rear wheels, the REX taxi does not need a propshaft which helps reduce weight and eases packaging.
TX production has started at a new factory in Ansty, near Coventry, and delivery of the first to a London cabbie took place recently.
The new taxi meets stricter Transport for London licensing requirements that came into force on 1 January 2018 which mandate a minimum 30 mile zero emission range and maximum CO2 emissions of 50g/km for new cabs.
