A car-loving nation would be hard-pressed to name one that attracts more attention than the London Taxis– even though it’s essentially just a regular sedan from Chinese manufacturer (and Volvo owner) Geely. The cabs are legendary in their own right, a bastion of British-ness to every Anglophile and eccentric enough to lure everyone else. To become a licensed cab driver in the capital, you need to prove you can effectively memorize tens of thousands of roads within a six-mile radius of the city center.

The iconic taxis can be hailed on the street, parked at a designated taxi rank or pre-booked using apps such as Uber. Passengers pay the fare as shown on the meter once the taxi arrives at the destination. Tipping is not required or expected, but you’re welcome to give a ’round up’ to reward the driver for their service.

London Taxis: The Iconic Black Cabs and Their Fascinating History

The LEVC TX is powered by a 33-kilowatt-hour battery pack with a 147-horsepower electric motor. A plug-in version is due soon that will be sold in Europe and the United States, while a hybrid version will also be available in the UK and Australia. The company behind the cabs, Panchshil Realty – which operates a few premium hotels in Pune and owns a couple of office buildings for companies such as NVIDIA and Siemens – wants to bring them to India as well. A local assembly facility is under consideration to keep costs down and forge a stronger connection with the market.