NYC Taxis Go Green
Michael Bloomberg has decided that New York should go green. By 2012, all 13,000 NYC taxis will be hybrids. This is the sort of thing that will make Michael Bloomberg a viable 3rd party candidate in 2008. Oh and he has set aside a billion (with a B) dollars for the potential campaign. He makes Mitt look like one of those cell-phone-havin’ $200-basketball-shoe-wearin’ “poor” people that some of our readers are so fond of.
where to start…
I bet his limo isn’t a hybrid
Happy little dictator orders an entire industry to buy an unproven technology (unproven for the milage a typical taxi racks up – 300,000 miles)
If he wants to conduct a big experiment, why not start with city owned vehicles?
Looks like the industry isn’t upset about this:
The vote followed a TLC staff presentation of a cost/benefit analysis of the six currently available hybrid-electric models, and a public hearing on the proposed specifications that included supportive testimony from a number of taxi industry leaders and prominent environmental organizations.
As for his limo, I don’t believe that they have hybrid limos yet, when they do, you can skewer him for not getting the first one off the line.
I meant to note that the quote above is a 2005 press release about the change when the commission was deciding whether or not to allow hybrids into the fleet.
I agree with steamboat willy. The city should change over its fleet immeaditely — only new hybrids can be bought.
Does anyone know if any “American” manufacturers make a hybrid?
Ford does, but it licenses the tech from Honda, I think. It’s in the link.
if the industry actually supported this, bloomy wouldn’t have had to order it.
why NYC feels compelled to determine what vehicles can and can’t be used as taxis is beyond me.
why NYC feels compelled to determine what vehicles can and can’t be used as taxis is beyond me.
Same reason Delaware dictates what kind of vehicles may or may not be used on the beach – protection of a fragile resource. (sand, air).
I can’t figure out why the Mayor doesn’t just ban non-commercial traffic in Manhattan.