New York Taxis Go Hybrid
May 22, 2007

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on NBC’s Today show Tuesday that the city’s cab fleet will go entirely hybrid within five years, and all of its vehicles for hire must meet new emissions and mileage standards by next year.

New York now has just 375 hybrids among its 13,000 taxis. That number will increase to 1,000 by October 2008 and will grow by about 20 percent each year until 2012, when every cab is a hybrid, the Associated Press reported. The shift to hybrids is part of Bloomberg’s sustainability plan for the city that includes a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

Ford has a lot at stake in the New York cab business with the large, fuel-guzzling Ford Crown Victoria being the cabbie’s favorite ride, and having the most hybrids in New York's taxi fleet.

Ford was quick to jump on Bloomberg’s announcement, sending out a press release on the virtues of its Ford Escape Hybrid, including its average 36 miles per gallon compared with the 14 miles per gallon of the Crown Vic.

The Escape Hybrid, according to Ford, was the first hybrid taxi put into service in the U.S. when it was introduced in San Francisco in early 2005. New York and Chicago followed. New York has 288 and San Francisco has 40.

Ford says its Escape Hybrid Cabs in New York have logged more than 175,000 miles with no major mechanical problems. Over the course of 100,000 miles, an Escape Hybrid taxi will save approximately 1,666 gallons of gas or 32,000 pounds of carbon emissions compared with a conventional cab, Ford claims. And they save drivers $6,000 year on gas.

Yahoo also jumped on the hybrid bandwagon, announcing it would donate 10 Ford Escape Hybrids to New York’s taxi fleet.

Toyota hybrids -- including the Toyota Prius, Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX 400h -- have been successfully tested in the city's taxi fleet over the past 18 months.

New Rules for Traditional Cabs

New York also will require all new vehicles entering the fleet after October 2008 to achieve a minimum of 25 miles per gallon. A year later, all new vehicles must get 30 miles per gallon and must be hybrid. City officials said the new standards, when fully implemented, are expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 200,000 tons per year. The higher price of hybrid vehicles will be offset by fuel savings of more than $10,000 a year, the city claims.

Posted by Michelle Krebs at 12:30 PM under Ford , News , Technology , Toyota | Comments (1) | digg this | Seed Newsvine