New MetroKing taxi could be equipped with hybrid power
Click on the image above for a gallery of MetroKing's new taxi
The City of New York would like to improve the fuel mileage of its fleet of taxis, but the issue is proving more difficult than planned to implement. After the city announced plans to place fuel economy requirements on all taxis operating within its jurisdiction, a minor riot erupted among the drivers and at least one union sued to stop the law from taking place. Later, federal judge Paul Crotty ruled that the city must put the plan on hold.
A new company called MetroKing has popped up with a potential resolution to the problem. Using a Chevy Colorado Chassis Cab as its foundation, the new wheelchair-accessible taxicab features a removable passenger compartment where the pickup bed would otherwise sit. MetroKing has been testing mild hybrid systems in the vehicle that would keep the engine from idling when the taxi isn't moving. Early testing shows the potential for a 20 percent improvement in fuel mileage, which could possibly already be improved over the current fleet that's made up mostly of V8-powered Ford Crown Victorias.
Gallery: MetroKing taxi
[Source: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brother_Will 5:00PM (1/31/2009)
God that thing has been hit hard with the ugly stick, welcome to America where even our taxis are pickups.
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driveon 4:04PM (2/04/2009)
True it does have it's own identity, in a world where tatooing, piercing our faces and wearing unique apparel with pink hair it seems like this design was concieved by some rather forward thinking people. Got to say that taxis are a pick-up truck, in that they just move live weight instead of dry weight and hard as they work driven by many individuals all the time they need to be tough. Frame under recyclable body vs. unibody front wheel drive, it starts to make sense not as a personnal vehicle but as a vocational utilytarian workhorse.
Zeph 5:12PM (1/31/2009)
By the looks of it they could probably get away with fitting a nuclear powerplant.
What's the plan for those things, use as taxis or detention viehicles? It looks like it should have shackles for the "passengers".
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TC 8:26AM (2/02/2009)
You are one of many to have ugly things to say about the Metroking. Like my grandson who is only 9 years old said: Everyone is a critic. I wonder what your qualifications are to have such strong opinions on the subject of vehicles used as taxis. Not to say I assume to know anything about you because I don't. I am a sixty year old female who thinks the hummer is overated and looks like it belongs in the desert in a futuristic time of Lawrence of Arabia but it sells for a lot of money. What about that?. You fellows need a real life like the man who as I read in the Poughkeepsie Journal article put his own money to do this for the handicapped people but there is no consideration for the effort by any of you. Just wait till your own mother needs a vehicle like this to take her to the doctor.What can I say. You are all very terrible in your comments but it does not surprise me, you are just boys after all.
Zeph 10:47AM (2/02/2009)
Qualifications? There is no need for any, the thing is a terrible design, it's too big, it's too bulky, it's too heavy, it's too fuel wasting, it's too unconfortable, it's clearly designed to utilize excess production chassis, probably all those unsold trucks and SUV's. It's just bad, and all you need to see that is common sense.
Also, this is far from the only viehicle that is wheelchair ready, and I would hazzard a guess that in that category it is probably one of the worse choices. The rational way to deal with that particular problem anyway is a dedicated sub fleet for the disabled, leaving normal taxi work to be done by more rational choices, which here where I live are c-class mercs and small MPV's for example.
And yes, that thing looks like a security viehicle, which given the current state of the political landscape just adds disconfort to visual injury.
dm789 5:17PM (1/31/2009)
OMG, they going to waste more space on the tight new york city street with these pick up trucks? Why cant they learn making a Taxi from Honda? More space less machine? now I realized why American cant catch up with the Japanese. They must learn how to be more PRACTICAL
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Phil L. 5:37PM (1/31/2009)
MetroKing's web site doesn't give length and width figures - but a Crown Vic is both longer and wider than the Chevy Colorado on which the MetroKing is based.
Sure you can make a taxi from a Honda. It won't hold 6 passengers, or handle a wheelchair, like the MetroKing can.
So: Looks like it could have a smaller footprint than typical current cabs, but have more passenger and cargo space. Throw in ADA compliance and a more efficient drivetrain, for good measure. Yeah, it's ugly. But it could make sense for many applications.
driveon 9:17AM (2/07/2009)
Just imagine being able to dispatch 5 sales people in one Metroking from Citibank, Seagrams or any other corporation that has not gone broke or filed for chapter 11 within a reasonably concentrated area without having to hire 5 limos at a cost of $???, one has to wonder what makes more sense or takes up more space.
Airports are allowing wheelchair vehicles go to the front of the line and when they have a family with lots of luggage call in the most spacious vehicles which now are minivans, or else this family will need two cars. This Metroking option has some benefits besides being made to last a while longer than smaller sedans.
indi 5:56PM (1/31/2009)
The interior does look like it's for perps, not paying customers. Besides, we already have minivans which would work just fine.
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rider 3:31PM (2/04/2009)
It is not uncommon that perps enter taxicabs. These drivers pick up hitchikers for a living. It is reasonable to have a partition to separate them from potentilly dangerous people. I would ask the family of the last cabbie who was killed for $80 how they feel about driver safety.
as far a minivans, yes they have a ramp a chopped up floor, many are rear entry so if a wheelchair occupant is in there and the van gets rear ended they are stuck with no other way out, it looks like the Metroking has two accessible doors for safety.
Also there are reports that taxis travel about 75,000 miles a year in 24 / 7 use. A minivan in severe abuse city cycle lasts about 14 months, so if the operator took out a 3 or 5 year loan now has to pay off two vehicles, including the replacement. Rear wheel drive 100000 GM warranty fully ADA compliant, I don't know I kind of like the safety, durability, recyclable rear cabin, plenty of room, I think it is kind of cool.
Chris M 6:05PM (1/31/2009)
It's a "camel". You know, "A camel is a horse designed by a committee."
Looks like they couldn't quite decide whether to make a taxi, a limousine, a bus, a minivan, an SUV, or a handicapped dial-a-ride, so they jumbled together the worst parts of all of those put together into one.
Good intentions, bad results.
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Stan Wellaway 6:39PM (1/31/2009)
Metroking? Met-joking more like! Last spring, Ford showed off a taxi version of their european Transit Connect van at Chicago and New York. It looks a heck of a lot neater and should be about ready for market by now.
http://puregreencars.com/auto-shows/New-York-Auto-Show/2008-NewYork-Ford-Transit-Connect-Taxi-Concept.html
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dm789 8:22PM (1/31/2009)
Phil L
I asked one a Taxi driver why cant me and 4 of my friend ride in one taxi he said the cab companies does not allow more than 5 passangers in a cab because of insurance purposes. That is why smaller cars and a minivan always added in the taxi fleet.
In New York City Bloomberg want to replace all the taxi with hybrids by 2010. So far I seen many
Highlander hybrids
RX 450H hybrids
Ford Escape hybrids
Camry hybrids
Altima hybrids
Malibu hybrids
Civic hybrids
But the do have minivans too like
from Honda,Toyota,GM,Ford,Dodge and some of them are fitted with ramp for disable. I also asked the taxi drivers is it better driving the minivans or the Crown Vics and they said its good for them because maintainance are lower and in winter they could have a piece of mind because those minivans are FWD not RWDs
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ambush 9:13PM (2/05/2009)
yeah i've seen many liberty converted mini-vans I doubt these beasts get better milage than a mini-van. Riding in the back of a pickup isn't comfortable because of the leaf springs anyway.
Stan Wellaway 7:03AM (2/01/2009)
Ever seen a five-seat cab driving around with a single passenger onboard?
Yep, loadsa times.
Or with two passengers? Yep, loadsa times.
In many cities these make up the majority of trips for the majority of taxis.
Plenty of scope for improving the mix, and improving efficiency. Not so easy in cities where cabbies are individually licensed, owning the one cab they drive.
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gorr 11:07AM (2/01/2009)
Just convert the actual crown victorias NY taxis to natural gas and/or hydrogen gas with a
pump installed at the taxis station. Don't disturb me or the taxis operators anymore with stupids costly goverment laws like changing all the cars for inneficients and costly hybrids that pollute the air, cost a fortune and use gasoline make from imported crude oil that need refining done at refineries that don't capture their co2 outputs with green algae farming. I know that NY stock exchange along with banking and politicians make billions a day with petrol and legislation trading but taxis cabs can become free business of their own. Sewage water of Ny along with dead rats can be transformed in natural gas helping depolution of water and air for tourist and citizens confort and keep medicare less busy with lung cancers treatments and general cancers treatments. Tourists and citizens can swimg near town in summer and do water skiing helping further tourist business. Freshs fishs from the hudson river can be serve the same day at the numerous restaurants in town and at the chinese flea market.
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Rick 3:59PM (2/02/2009)
That is the perfect green taxi! I would rather walk then get into that monster, so they'd save a ton of burned fuel.
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salestech 4:13PM (2/04/2009)
You make a good point. It just makes sense, imagine covering a multitude of markets with lack of a purpose built vehicle with one design, taxis, wheelchair non emergency use, limo, high end small schoolbus, detention correctional service vehicles, airport service, hotel dispatch, rental company shuttles, hey maybe these guys are smarter than we think.
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rider 4:24PM (2/04/2009)
On the money! A camel is a purpose built horse that can travel places where the typical horse can not go, like across the desert.
It looks like this Metroking is a purpose built vocational vehicle that can go where normal cars can not go, like a half a million miles on a sturdy frame i have seen on their web site.
I guess there is a horse for every b--t.
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Steven Warren Crowell 9:26AM (5/07/2009)
This whole objective to 'control' what vehicle is used for NYC taxi work is flawed from the start.
What they are really trying to do is correct all of the drawbacks of 'partitioned' taxis. I've offered a solution for over 30 years now, but it might involve admission of considerable prior errors engaged in by the NYC TLC.
The partitions are a miserable failure on two fronts. First, murders rise because knifes are rendered much less viable with a partition, so thugs switch to guns. Second, the injuries inflicted due to the hazardous, illegal design flaws inherent in current taxi-partition designs.
Aside from doing what they shouldn't do,and not doing what they should do, regarding assault or collision injury... they create an adversarial atmosphere and are a constant source of irritation for driver and passenger alike who suffer from not being able to communicate without screaming.
SWC
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