Gillanders Motors has been appointed as the London Electric Vehicle Company’s (LEVC) taxi and light commercial vehicle (LCV) dealer for Aberdeenshire.

The Peterhead-based Kia, MG and Suzuki retailer becomes part of a network of 17 franchised retailers and 30 authorised repair locations for the Geely-owned brand, assuming full sales and aftersales support for both the TX taxi and VN5 van from this month.

LEVC described its new recruit – its northernmost dealer – as “an established key player in the taxi market”.

LEVC chief executive, Joerg Hofmann, who was recently interviewed by AM for a manufacturer profile on the LEVC brand, said: “We are pleased to welcome Gillanders to our UK network to represent LEVC in Aberdeenshire.

“With their wealth of commercial vehicle experience, GIllanders will play a vital role in helping us grow our brand presence and customer base in Scotland.

“Their appointment is also part of our network growth strategy to ensure that LEVC customers are never further than 45 minutes from a sales and service point.”

LEVC today highlighted  that taxi drivers in Scotland can benefit from the ‘Switched on Taxis’ scheme offered by Energy Saving Trust, which offers loans of up to £120,000 to enable owners and operators of hackney cabs or private hire taxis to replace their current vehicle with an eligible ultra-low emission vehicle, like LEVC’s TX.

LEVC’s new VN5 electric van is also eligible for an ‘interest free electric vehicle loan’ of up to £28,000 as part of the Energy Saving Trust Scheme, it said.

Mark D. Stevenson, sales manager at Gillanders Motors, said: “We are delighted to add the LEVC brand to the Gillanders family.

“As we continue to increase our electrified vehicle range, LEVC offers a viable alternative for taxi and van drivers looking to benefit from the massive savings offered by an electric vehicle.”

Late last year LEVC added five new retail locations to its franchised network when Guest Truck and Van and its sister company, Sherwood Truck and Van, assumed representation of the brand in Birmingham, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Sheffield and Leicester, providing full sales and after sales support for both the TX taxi and VN5 van.

Production of LEVC’s TX electric taxi and new VN5 electric van got underway at the company’s electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility in Ansty, Coventry, at the end of last year.

LEVC’s TX plug-in hybrid (PHEV) black cab offers 63 miles of zero emissions driving and a total electrically driven range of over 316 miles.

Based on the same architecture the VN5 claims to be capable of a pure EV range of over 60 miles and a total flexible range of 304 miles.