Hybrid Taxicabs in NYC

  Hybrid Taxicabs for New York City: A Biofriendly Move

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 New York City has about 13,000 taxis in operation and visitors to the Big Apple are familiar with the sight of the famous yellow cabs. Those yellow cabs are now about to turn green. On Earth Day 2007, Mayor Bloomberg announced his plan to make the city more biofriendly by requiring all yellow taxis in New York City to be hybrids by the year 2012.
Hybrid vehicles will make a huge difference in creating a cleaner environment, as traffic congestion is a major problem in New York City and traditional gasoline-powered cars spew out fumes and burn up gas while they are stuck in traffic jams. However, with a hybrid vehicle things are different. When the engine is idling or the brakes are applied, unused energy is stored in electric batteries for later use in driving and accelerating. In fact, depending on the model, short distances may be driven entirely on electrical power, without even activating the internal combustion engine. In a city like New York this can add up to huge gasoline savings and much cleaner air.
The Ford Crown Victoria is currently the most commonly used New York taxi vehicle, at 14 miles per gallon (mpg). Contrast that with the Ford Escape hybrid SUV, which does 36 mpg. According to mayor Bloomberg, implementing the proposed hybrid fleet of taxis will be equivalent to removing 32,000 gas-powered vehicles from the streets. (1)
These are not the only environmental changes in store for New York City. The mayor also proposed charging an $8 congestion fee for people who drive their own cars in heavily congested areas like Manhattan. Truck drivers would pay $21; residents who live in the area would pay $4. Currently about a million cars enter Manhattan on a daily basis. (2)
Other cities around the world have already implemented congestion fees with positive results. For example, in London, levying congestion fees resulted in 30% less congestion, a 37% increase in traffic speed and a 20% decrease in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. (3)
Meanwhile, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Company (TLC) ruled that from October 2008, all new taxicabs must have a rating of 25 mpg in the city, or better. By October 2009, the required rating for new taxicabs will become 30 mpg.
Mayor Bloomberg’s and TLC’s ambitious plans in reducing congestion and fuel consumption, coupled with improved air quality, are to be commended. It is encouraging to see cities all over the world taking positive action to make the environment more biofriendly.
While fossil fuels are still the transportation mainstay, however, steps should be taken to optimize their use. Biofriendly Corporation helps to improve the environment with its The Green Plus® liquid fuel catalyst, which creates a cleaner, more linear burn in internal combustion engines, thereby reducing harmful emissions and improving fuel economy.
References:
(1)http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2007a%2Fpr156-07.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1
(2)http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-26-nyc-congestion-fee_N.htm
(3)http://www.environmentaldefense.org/page.cfm?tagID=6241

  Author, Peter Verhoeff, contributes articles on environmental issues for Biofriendly Corporation. More information on these and other topics can be found on the Biofriendly site.

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