Novelis Aluminium Gives Boost to Electric Taxi Program
Lightweight aluminium parts for body structure and closures help reduce weight and increase range
ZURICH, 20 March, 2018 - Novelis, the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, today announced supply of its premium aluminium to the new London Electric Taxi. London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) has developed an all-new zero-emissions capable taxi, the TX, with an aluminium frame. The use of lightweight aluminium sheet was incorporated into the design of the TX to help reduce weight and boost the driving range with Novelis AdvanzTM 5F- s5754 RC for the upper body and AdvanzTM 6F – e170 for the motor hood.
LEVC aims to produce thousands of vehicles a year in order to tackle the air quality crisis in cities around the world. The latest construction techniques have been used to build a taxi that is lighter, more fuel efficient, and better to drive – while still meeting the rigorous demands and life expectancy of a purpose-built taxi. The TX will run for approximately 70 miles (110 kilometers) on a full battery charge before switching to a petrol engine for an additional 300 miles (480 kilometers).
“After extensive testing, LEVC’s new taxi is ready to do the job it was made for: transport people around the great cities of the world safely, cleanly and stylishly. Better for passengers, more cost effective for drivers, it will play a major role in helping to improve air quality benefiting all. I am immensely proud of the work we have carried out so far: we have produced a new icon, the world’s most advanced electric taxi,” said Paul Woolley, COO of LEVC.
As electric vehicle growth is projected to increase in the next decade, automakers will adopt aluminium to lightweight vehicles and improve performance. Novelis is a partner of choice for automakers throughout their development journey to collaborate with OEMs on how to adopt aluminium and offer solutions that achieve dramatic weight loss, while increasing fuel efficiency, reducing emissions and providing equal or better quality, strength and durability compared to other materials.
“Many automakers and particularly those like LEVC that sell urban vehicles are allocating more time and resources to electrification and lightweighting as a way to increase the performance of the vehicle and reduce CO2 emissions,” said Michael Hahne, Vice President, Automotive, Novelis Europe. LEVC wants to create cities that are cleaner and greener for everyone and by incorporating more infinitely recyclable and lightweight aluminium into the design of their vehicles, Novelis is helping LEVC achieve that mission.”
By incorporating aluminium into this design, LEVC joins a number of automakers moving toward electrification and increasing consumers demand more in-vehicle content, lightweighting solutions will enable automakers to increase electric vehicle range while still allowing OEMs to add technology components that enhance the driver and passenger experience. Aluminium supply for the TX will be sourced from the Novelis’ plant in Nachterstedt, Germany.
About Novelis
Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminium rolled products and the world's largest recycler of aluminium. The company operates in 10 countries, has approximately 11,000 employees and had $10 billion in revenue for its 2017 fiscal year. Novelis supplies premium aluminium sheet and foil products to transportation, packaging, construction, industrial and consumer electronics markets throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America. Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, an industry leader in aluminium and copper, and metals flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. For more information, visit novelis.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/NovelisInc and Twitter at twitter.com/Novelis.
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Media Contact:
Anna Bon, Europe Communications
+41 44 368 2265
anna.bon@novelis.adityabirla.com
Released March 20, 2018