Hybrid taxis in NY endangered?
Let's get one fact straight right off the bat: no current vehicles on American roadways were designed from the start to serve as taxis. Sure, the Crown Victoria from Ford may be the most often used vehicle for taxi service around the country, but it and its Fox platform were not specifically designed to be used as a taxi. We're not suggesting that the Crown Vic doesn't make a good people-mover, but its origins are as a vehicle for public consumption, a family car if you will. Why do we care? The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT) has made claims that hybrid taxis are unsafe and has asked manufacturers to certify their vehicles for taxi use. For obvious reasons, the OEMs are a bit hesitant to do so.
Honda has flat out denied the request, stating that it never designed the cars to serve as taxis and Toyota has so far chosen not to respond. Automakers like Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors have suggested that it's not their responsibility to ensure the safety of a modified vehicle. Because the city of New York requires a partition between the passengers and the driver, the car's inherent safety and safety features may be compromised. Note, this has nothing to do with the hybrid drivetrain of any specific vehicle. Perhaps a dedicated vehicle would be best. It will definitely be interesting to watch how this plays out, as New York Mayor Bloomberg announced that the entire fleet would become hybridized by 2012. We'll see.
[Source: Huffington Post]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
why not the LS2LS7? 1:04PM (10/10/2008)
There is money to be made here. GM should get the two-mode into the Impala (yes, I know the Malibu is next up, not the Impala) and certify it.
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psece 1:10PM (10/10/2008)
The fox platform was designed from the beginning to be a police cruiser with a partition.
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bruce 1:13PM (10/10/2008)
Bring back the Checker!
While we're at it, maybe we could build a CNG-burning Checker that might be even cleaner than the hybrids in the end. CNG makes a lot more sense for fleet vehicles like buses and taxis.
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Phil L. 1:28PM (10/10/2008)
psece -
Huh? The Fox platform is the foundation for the Mustang. I think you're referencing the Panther platform, which is used by the Crown Vic.
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Brn 3:50PM (10/10/2008)
"Ford and General Motors have suggested that it's not their responsibility to ensure the safety of a modified vehicle"
This statement needs to be made in context. Ford has made numerous modifications to the Crown Vic, solely for the purpose of qualifying as a Police Cruiser or Taxi. It's been the car's target audience for quite some time now.
I'm sure Ford is happy to ensure the safety of the vehicle with the modifications Ford has made to it to make it suitable for these purposes. Modifications made after that, they can't take responsibility for.
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adagan 2:59AM (10/11/2008)
they should use this as a taxi: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/20/new-york-2008-why-yes-the-ford-transit-connect-could-be-used-a/
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Mattias 5:38AM (10/11/2008)
The Transit connect is ugly yet practical. Because of its uncomfortable life axle it is seldomly used as a Taxi here in western Europe. You see more Volkswagen Tourans or Ford C-Max than Volkswagen Caddy or Ford Transit Connect used as taxi here.
Onbad New York roads however the life axly might be of better longevity. So hybridize these things, and offer this hybrid drivetrain in the C-Max and the Transit. Escpecially in typical city conditions a hybrid might bring far better mileage than the small diesels you usually see here.