NEW YORK (AP):
In this handout file photo provided by Yahoo.com, five of 10 eco-friendly hybrid taxis donated to New York City by Yahoo! are displayed below the Brooklyn Bridge, Saturday, May 12, in New York. The city's yellow taxi fleet will go entirely hybrid within five years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced, Tuesday, May 22. - AP photo
The fleet of yellow taxicabs in New York City will go entirely hybrid within five years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced, last 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 byabout 20 per cent each year until 2012, when every yellow cab currently numbering 13,000 will be a hybrid.
Emitting less exhaust
Hybrid vehicles run on a combination of gasolene 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 (six kilometres per litre) . In contrast, the Ford Escape taxis get 36 miles per gallon (15 kilometres per litre).
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 (10 kilometres per litre). A year later, all new vehicles must get 30 miles per gallon (13 kilometres per litre) 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 US$10,000 (€7,433) per year. Yahoo Inc. said it would donate 10 hybrid Ford Escapes for the city's effort.
