A Greener NYC Taxi

Over the past few years, there has been a growing push towards electric cars in hopes of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Although most consumers have yet to make the switch to electric cars, either because it is too costly of an investment or charging the car is simply not a practical option, one of the most famous metropolitan cities has decided do an experiment that will paint their infamous yellow taxis a shade of green.

This electric taxi experiment hopes to answer the top argument against them: Can New York City taxi drivers spare enough time to charge their cars without the loss of any money?

In the city that never sleeps, the yellow of the taxi cars is the one color you see speeding around no matter what time of the morning or night it is. These cabs define the streets of New York City, so if such a change is ever to be implemented, it is important that an experiment take place first. Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg (News - Alert), the 2013 Nissan Leaf will be used in the experiment, joining the streets of NYC on Thursday.

This experiment comes shortly after Mayor Bloomberg released a statement calling for one-third of the taxis in NYC to become electric by 2020..  “These all-electric LEAF taxicabs will help us determine the best way to seamlessly integrate electric vehicles into the taxi industry’s 24/7 business and operational models,” said Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky to the Daily News.

There are over 7,800 public charging spots across the country where drivers can charge their Nissan Leaf. It has one of the most advanced lithium batteries powering the 100 percent electric drive system.  

This experiment is the first step towards Mayor Bloomberg’s green taxi goal. It will be interesting to see how well they serve NYC cab drivers and passengers this Thursday. Be sure to follow the experiment on TMCnet.