Green Daily

As London as Big Ben and really good curry, black London cabs are what you think of when you think of the English capital.

Lots of things are getting greener in London and now the famous black cabs will offer lower carbon emissions and better fuel consumption as part of a redesign (the new design, unfortunately, looks likes a mini-van). The eco-friendlier cabs are another example of manufacturers becoming eco-conscious, especially in the wake of environmental policies the city has taken on, including the controversial but pretty successful London congestion charge.

The new cars will be introduced on June 26th and sold to drivers sometime this summer. EcoCity announced a contract with Mercedes-Benz to set up the green-ified cars through its subsidiary called KPM-UK Taxis. KPM-UK has had a contract with London Taxi International (LTI), the group that have designed the famous London Cabs since 1989 and are responsible for over 90 per cent of the taxis in the city. LTI's parent company, Manganese Bronze, recently signed a development agreement with the Tanfield Group to create the TX4E - a zero emission taxi that would be used for urban travel.