New LEVC L380 eight-seater luxury MPV coming to the UK

LEVC, otherwise known as the London Electric Vehicle Company and the maker of the new London black cab, is branching out into the luxury MPV market with the all-new, all-electric L380 that’s coming to the UK within two years.

The L380 is the first in a new range of electric cars planned by the British company as it aims to transition from taxi-maker to “leading provider of e-mobility solutions”. The L380 is also the first models to utilise a new EV-dedicated platform called Space Oriented Architecture (SOA) that was co-developed by Chinese goliath Geely which owns LEVC and many other car brands, including Volvo, Lotus and Polestar.

LEVC says that cars built on the SOA will “offer advances in range, efficiency, safety, charging time, durability, and connectivity,” including a driving range of up to 431 miles from future models. 

Whether the L380 will boast such a figure has yet to be confirmed. But we do know the platform can accommodate battery capacities ranging from 73kWh to 120kWh, as well as front, rear and four-wheel drive motor configurations. 

Technical details for the L380 are still under wraps for now, but a good frame of reference is one of its few direct rivals: the Volvo EM90. The EM90 uses a single 272bhp electric motor and a huge 116kWh battery, so it’s possible the L380 will match it. 

We’ve yet to get a look inside the “luxurious, highly flexible cabin” of the L380 either, with the only detail shared at this stage being that it will be offered with six or eight-seat layouts. Meanwhile, the styling looks thoroughly space-age, with a full-width light bar running across the smooth and stubby front end and the wheels are pushed out right to the corners of the MPV to boost space inside. 

The first LEVC L380 prototype has rolled off the production line in China, where the car is being launched later this year. In China, the L380 will face competition from the Volvo EM90 and Zeekr 009 in a premium MPV market that seems to be on the up. The UK has much less competition in this luxury people carrier segment but that could change. The latest arrival is the Lexus LM, although it’s not an EV.

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