Nissan, GM and Ford agree to build hybrid taxis for New York City
It's time to say adios to the classic yellow Ford Crown Vic. In May 2007, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans to transform the city's ubiquitous yellow cab fleet from the old school Ford Crown Victorias to all hybrids. For the past couple of years, a variety of hybrid vehicles have been gradually infiltrating the fleet and generally performing well. Ford Escape hybrids have become a common site on the streets of Manhattan. Under the new rules, starting this October all new cabs coming into the fleet will be required to get 25 mpg in the city with that number jumping to 30 mpg in 2009. That essentially means the end of the Crown Vic. The city has now reached agreement with Nissan, Ford and GM to supply a steady stream hybrid vehicles for taxi use. Nissan will offer up 200 Altima hybrids every month while Ford and Chevrolet will provide 50 each of its Escape and Malibu hybrids every month. These 300 vehicles per month will ensure that there are sufficient supplies to meet the turnover needs of the fleet over the next several years and replace the entire fleet by 2012.
[Source: New York Times]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Serge 5:18PM (7/17/2008)
I'm surprised Malibu Hybrid made the cut. It's only rated at 24 mpg city. Saturn Vue on the other hand is 25 mpg in the current form and probably even better as a 2-Mode version.
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empowah 2:47AM (7/18/2008)
For 2009, the Malibu Hybrid's fuel economy increases to 26 mpg city, 34 highway. And more importantly, like all hybrids, it doesn't burn a single drop of fuel "idling" in traffic. In taxi applications, that alone is probably the biggest fuel saving feature of the BAS system.
Serge 9:48AM (7/18/2008)
thanks, empowah. The info I've seen showed the same no mileage improvements for Malibu hybrid between 2008-2009. I would think that the biggest factor increasing mileage in city driving is regenerative braking (see mileage for Escape hybrid for example). Dual-mode hybrid power train also allows for electric-only propulsion at low speeds, a much better improvement over the BAS system.
Chris M 10:10PM (7/17/2008)
The NYC taxi commission has a blatant bias favoring big cars, and only reluctantly takes fuel economy into consideration. They refused to allow the Toyota Prius for taxi use, even though Prius taxis have done extremely well in other markets like San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver BC.
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Serge 9:37AM (7/18/2008)
I don't know since when, but Prius currently is approved for taxi use in NYC http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/industry_notice_08_13.pdf
catherine 3:02AM (7/18/2008)
It's KERMIT! It was only a matter of time before someone started using Kermit in this fashion. Miss Piggy is going to get annoyed about not being included. :) I'm sorry ,I'm having a flashback to my childhood. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming .
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Bryan 9:07AM (7/18/2008)
For limo use they use a lot of highlander hybrids, prius, camry hybrids. I was selling a lot of them in PA to the New Yorkers until we ran out of black hybrids and now telling them its going be months till they can get one.
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