Car blogs

By Danny King, Contributor


Any self-respecting baseball fan will tell you that folks in New York and Boston don't tend to agree on much, but at least the two cities appear to be on the same side when pushing for more fuel-efficient cabs.


Manhattan and Boston, as well as San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Washington D.C., are reportedly pressuring the federal government to force or at least financially encourage taxicab companies to cut their carbon footprint by buying more hybrid vehicles.


The move comes after a federal court this week rejected New York City's continued attempt to effectively mandate more hybrid cab purchases by adjusting lease rates of both hybrid cabs and traditional Ford Crown Victorias (pictured).


The mayors of the six cities wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urging Congress to help ensure better fuel efficiency among U.S. cabs and limos, and they estimated that 50 million gallons of fuel would be saved each year from more fuel-efficient cabs, The Detroit News reported.


The push comes at a critical juncture as alternative-fueled vehicles gain greater exposure with the U.S. introduction of both the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid and Nissan's battery-electric Leaf later this year while cab operators look for a replacement vehicle for the popular Crown Vic, which Ford is phasing out along with the Lincoln Town Car.


As it is, the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid cabs have gained popularity in cities such as New York and San Francisco, with the Escape Hybrid getting about double the Crown Vic's fuel economy and the Prius getting roughly three times as much.
Continue reading...

Tags: Chevrolet, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Toyota, Boston, Chicago, D.C., Ford Crown Victoria, Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford Fusion, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Taxi, Toyota Prius, Washington

---

Six Major U.S. Cities Unite to Push Feds Toward Requiring More Taxis Be Hybrids was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.