Hybrid Use as Taxicabs Questioned
It was only a matter of time before taxicab companies made the migration to hybrid vehicles. As gas prices soared to over $4/gallon in the United States this summer, those that live in New York City noticed more hybrid taxicabs on the road. However, the push to use hybrids as taxis in NYC started late last year.
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission set forth a new mandate in late 2007 that required all taxicabs to either be a hybrid model or achieve an average of 25 miles per gallon. In the stop and go traffic that plagues NYC, maintaining a 25 mpg average is nearly impossible without using a hybrid.
Here is where the problem starts – the majority of taxis in NYC must have a partition between the driver and passengers. However, auto manufacturers do not certify these vehicles in crash tests. Honda and Toyota went as far as warning against the use of their hybrid models as taxis.
“On August 29, 2008, Richard D. Emery, an attorney for the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, wrote to automakers including Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Honda, General Motors and Volkswagen requesting that they certify that their hybrids or alternative fuel vehicles are manufacturer-approved to be used as taxicabs and safe when modified with partitions and other TLC requirements.†(Source: PRNewswire)
These manufacturers are all refusing to make this certification. Despite the warning from Honda, the Honda Civic Hybrid is one of nine models that the TLC has listed as approved for use as a taxicab. No resolution on the issue has been reached.
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