Company’s battery system installed in electric vehicle which is ‘cheaper to run than a black cab’
A Tayside company’s technology is at the heart of an electric taxi being unveiled at the British International Motor Show in London next week.

The vehicle, which is both designed and built in Scotland, will be available from late this year and is powered by a battery system supplied by Dundee technology firm Axeon Holdings.

It is the result of three years research and development by electric-vehicle specialist Allied Vehicles, of Glasgow.

The new vehicle, E7, is said to have a range of up to 100 miles at a top speed of 60mph from a single charge.

It produces no carbon, particulates or other pollutant emissions, so is eligible for a 100% discount from standard vehicle excise duty and is expected to deliver lower day-to-day running costs.

With rising fuel prices an increasing problem for taxi drivers, the E7 is said to be cheaper to run than a traditional black cab.

Allied chairman Gerry Facenna said: “Taxis and their drivers have a hard life and, with the rising cost of diesel at the moment, it is only going to get worse. The fact that the entire electric project has been designed and built in Scotland is a great achievement for us and it goes to show that Scottish manufacturers are among the most forward-thinking in the world.”

Axeon, which specialises in battery and battery-management systems for the automotive and industrial markets, announced in May it had landed a £17.3million-plus deal to supply battery packs to Allied.

Hamish Grant, the Dundee firm’s chief executive, said at the time that his company was ready to play a major part in significant growth in the market for electric vehicles after securing contracts with two of the leading suppliers in the UK market.

The latest deal was expected to underpin continued growth, with Axeon’s Dundee workforce predicted to be 60-strong by the year-end.

Axeon also has around 20 production workers in Dundee, about 40 technical staff at operations in Switzerland and Germany and a manufacturing plant in Poland employing 550 people. Annual turnover at the firm, which also supplies lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery and charger systems to zero-emission vehicle specialist Modec, is expected grow to about £66million this year.

Sales of Allied’s new taxi, which is being marketed at a price of £39,450, are expected to create new jobs in Glasgow.

Allied, which employs 360 people and has an annual turnover of more than £50million, has extended its 20-acre production plant by 98,000sq ft in readiness for increased production of its range of electric taxis, vans and multi-purpose vehicles.

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