http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/ Autoblog Comments for http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/May 22nd 2007 3:04PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/*The guy in the Prius*]]>May 22nd 2007 3:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/May 22nd 2007 3:09PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/Yes..if you live in Vancouver which is where that picture was taken.]]>May 22nd 2007 3:14PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/
Personally, I think they will go up and I hope that in the long run things work out - there are still a LOT of unknows WRT hybrids. Like batteries.]]>May 22nd 2007 3:15PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/May 22nd 2007 3:18PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/
#1. No, even though operating costs will go down, they expect us to pick up the difference in the cost of the car.

#2. That is not an uncommon (cab driver in turban)sight in NYC, but that Prius is not a NYC cab. It's a yellow cab from someplace else.

It baffles me as to why Ford doesn't put the Hybrid config in that 500/Tarus/Sable thing they're selling. Cab companies everywhere would buy these things.]]>May 22nd 2007 3:20PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/May 24th 2007 6:32PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/
Maybe Taxi's get up to speed enough in the city to recharge the batteries. If not, the elctric motor and batteries are just dead weight. Good bye gas savings.

I work for politicians. They are really bad at making techincal decisions. They should not legislate the best auto/gas saving technology.]]>May 22nd 2007 3:39PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/May 22nd 2007 3:40PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/--------------------------

You see what you just wrote there is the same thing every rational human being is asking..........................all but Mulaly ofcourse]]>May 22nd 2007 3:41PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/The picture is from Vancouver. Thats on Burrard street which i live on.

Google Prius Taxi and you will see Vancouver has 317 Priuses in Taxi service. They have performed better than Crown Vics and all other cabs of before. They are great. Very reliable.]]>May 22nd 2007 3:51PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/
Hybrids are a stop-gap technology, nothing more. additionally, hybrid batteries are still a very very unsure thing on a long-term basis.

having worked for a transportation company which owned more than a few cab companies, i can tell you there's a reason why cab drivers love the Crown Vic: It's a RELIABLE CAR. despite the fact that it only gets about 12-15MPG, they love it, even though they are paying for the gas. it can go for 300K miles easily if well maintained, and the design of the car makes it so if can take the daily bump and grind of cab drivers. These crappy toyota hybrids won't last 2 years of cab driver-abuse. they'll be gone before you can say "i need a new battery".

instead of making a hybrid requirement, why not JUST put the mileage requirement. this reeks of blatant toyota lobbying, to push their hybrid technology onto NY's cabs. the mayor's office should never have made this decision. This decision shuold have been made by the NewYork TLC (taxicab and limousine commission)]]>May 22nd 2007 4:11PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/
A majority of the hybrid taxis in NY are the Ford Escape hybrid. A good number have done >200k miles without incident. ]]>May 23rd 2007 1:57PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/So no it's probably not a Toyota loby. On the other hand toyota HAS had(not sure that they are still buying fleets from them) a contract with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. The DP&C had first gen Prius when Toyota came out with them. And I see a lot of the Sec gen Prius in Central Park.]]>May 23rd 2007 6:22PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/]]>May 22nd 2007 4:11PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/May 22nd 2007 4:14PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/
You will not find many examples of battery failure on hybrids. Send me a link of a handful. This is a scare tactic on part of automakers that dont make hybrids to turn people off of them. Many taxi cabs have 200,000 miles on them with no battery issue.

This is not political grand standing. This is a great move and it is supported by the Cabbies themselves.

Read Cabbi Association response:

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/05/22/ny.taxis.ap/]]>May 22nd 2007 4:22PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/
Also, although taxis in NYC spend a lot of time braking, that's not the only potential for gas savings or the only logic behind encouraging hybrid taxis. They also spend a lot of time idling at stoplights and curbs, and the gasoline engine turns off when the car is not moving. That alone promises significant gas savings, as well as reducing emissions in the city, which is probably just as important a reason for encouraging hybrid taxis.

]]>May 22nd 2007 4:28PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/22/bloomberg-all-nyc-taxis-to-be-hybrid-by-2012/May 22nd 2007 4:29PM