This article is more than 10 months old

This article is more than 10 months old

The launch of a fully electric black cab for London has been hailed by the mayor for helping clean up the capital’s polluted air.

The Dynamo, a taxi converted from a Nissan electric van in a Coventry factory, is the first 100% electric taxi on the streets of London since 1899. Its predecessor, the Bersey, failed to take off at a time when most cabs were horse-drawn.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest More than 2,400 hybrid-electric TX cabs ply their trade on London’s streets. Photograph: Matt Alexander/PA

Only two vehicle types – both zero-emissions capable – can be issued with new Transport for London (TfL) taxi licences.

About 2,450 hybrid-electric cabs made by the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) have been licensed for operation in the capital since its introduction in January 2018. The LEVC model runs on a battery for about 70 miles, with a petrol engine “range extender” for use outside central London capable of up to 400 miles.

The Dynamo Taxi, based on the Nissan e-NV200 Evalia, has a range of up to 187 miles from a single charge. It costs £55,495, but drivers will be able to claim a £7,500 government grant for electric cars against the price.

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The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he was delighted to see taxi-drivers “doing their bit to improve our filthy air”. Most of the 20,000 licensed black cabs in the capital are diesel.

He said: “Working with cabbies to go electric is a key part of our plans to improve London’s air quality. The Dynamo taxi will accelerate the retirement of polluting diesel taxis from city streets across the UK.”

London has set aside £42m to encourage drivers to trade in older, dirtier vehicles earlier. According to TfL, taxis account for 16% of vehicle nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in central London.