NYC's taxi fleet going green by 2012

[Midnight Mike]

NYC's taxi fleet going green by 2012
22-May-2007


The city's yellow taxi fleet will go entirely hybrid within five years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday.

"There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City," Bloomberg said. "These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes, belching fumes.

"This does a lot less. It's a lot better for all of us," he said of the hybrid plan.

Nearly 400 fuel-efficient hybrids have been tested in the city's taxi fleet over the past 18 months, with models including the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the Lexus RX 400h and the Ford Escape.

Under Bloomberg's plan, that number will increase to 1,000 by October 2008, then will grow by about 20 percent each year until 2012, when every yellow cab — currently numbering 13,000 — will be a hybrid.

Hybrid vehicles run on a combination of gasoline and electricity, emitting less exhaust and achieving higher gas mileage per gallon.

The standard yellow cab vehicle, the Ford Crown Victoria, gets 14 miles per gallon. In contrast, the Ford Escape taxis get 36 miles per gallon.

In addition to making the yellow cab brigade entirely green within five years, the city 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 be hybrid. Bloomberg made the announcement on NBC's "Today" show.

Hybrid vehicles are typically more expensive, but the city said the increase in fuel efficiency will save taxi operators more than $10,000 per year. Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) said it would donate 10 hybrid Ford Escapes for the city's effort.

Shifting the taxi fleet to hybrids is part of Bloomberg's wider sustainability plan for the city, which includes a goal of a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

[USAF Pilot 07]

Good! There's no reason at all why just about every cab on the street is an 8-cylinder Crown Victoria.

Cabbies bitch about gas prices, but these fleet owners buy these massive, unecessary cars, and the cabbies insist on flooring it when accelerating, and braking hard...

[cancidas]

about damn time!

[nwafan20]

I think this is good,

Any reduction in pollution is a benefit.

[Idlewild]

Actually, if Bloomberg wanted to help he would make all Yellows burn bio-fuel. You still have emissions and the problem of disposing of the electrical engine which is just a big battery after it's life is gone. With bio-fuel the emissions are virtually nill, it has the same combustion as diesel and can work in today's engines, and it's mostly made from left over grease.

[Midnight Mike]

Actually, if Bloomberg wanted to help he would make all Yellows burn bio-fuel. You still have emissions and the problem of disposing of the electrical engine which is just a big battery after it's life is gone. With bio-fuel the emissions are virtually nill, it has the same combustion as diesel and can work in today's engines, and it's mostly made from left over grease.

The Hybrid cars are the way to go & can be done tomorrow.

Bio-fuels could be the future, there is just not infrastructure to store that type of fuel around the city.

Also, bio-fuels do give off emissions, just not as much as present cars.

Finding a source of bio-fuels would be another complicated system, that is a lot of fuel that those taxis would need.

The next question would be which type?

Used cooking oil from restaurants? Would not be very effective in the Winter time, & it gives off a smell.

Switchgrass? - Can only be grown in the warmer weather & not enough farmers are growing the stuff & you would have to store the fuel for Winter use.

Bio-fuels certainly have a promising future, but, one that can not be achieved by the 2012 target date.

As to the Hybrid batteries, they are under warranty for 12 years & there are taxis that after 12 years, have still not replaced the battery.

[Idlewild]

I'm strictly talking recycling grease. The odor can probably be eliminated through a "green" additive. Also remember that current T&LC rules require cab owners to buy new cars every five years (maybe shorter), that's alot of rollover and certainly extra batteries with nowhere to go if nobody picks up the used fleet. Now if he would just concentrate on forcing the big diesels on going green and planting more tres to act as scrubbers, the City would certainly smell a tad cleaner.

[cancidas]

Actually, if Bloomberg wanted to help he would make all Yellows burn bio-fuel. You still have emissions and the problem of disposing of the electrical engine which is just a big battery after it's life is gone. With bio-fuel the emissions are virtually nill, it has the same combustion as diesel and can work in today's engines, and it's mostly made from left over grease.

biofuels are deisels, and are cabs burn mogas.

[hiss srq]

How about getting rid of say 50% of the cab fleet. That would make me happy. I hate taxi cabs. They make driving dangerous.

[Idlewild]

How about getting rid of say 50% of the cab fleet. That would make me happy. I hate taxi cabs. They make driving dangerous.

That is my next suggestion. You have to fight them to take you to Brooklyn anyway, ya know?

[Idlewild]

Actually, if Bloomberg wanted to help he would make all Yellows burn bio-fuel. You still have emissions and the problem of disposing of the electrical engine which is just a big battery after it's life is gone. With bio-fuel the emissions are virtually nill, it has the same combustion as diesel and can work in today's engines, and it's mostly made from left over grease.

biofuels are deisels, and are cabs burn mogas.

Isn't there a difference in burn factor as well as "lube" factor with bio fuel derived diesel and petroleum?

[Matt Molnar]

Hybrid vehicles are typically more expensive, but the city said the increase in fuel efficiency will save taxi operators more than $10,000 per year.

Not only are they more expensive to buy, but cab fleet operators will be forced to substantially upgrade their maintenance infrastructure and staff. Parts for these cars are also substantially pricier when they break. If operators are lucky they'll come out even, but probably not. I'm afraid this will only lead to higher fares and another strike against middle class folk in NYC.