Most people recognize the classic yellow-and-black taxicab, but some taxis are adopting a new color--green. Clean Cities helped Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and San Antonio, Texas, create hybrid taxi programs that cut gasoline use and air pollution while pleasing drivers and passengers alike. Each year, taxis average 55,000 miles of driving. Most are Ford Crown Victorias, with a city fuel economy of about 16 miles per gallon (mpg). In contrast, the hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) most commonly used as taxis do much better: The Toyota Prius gets 48 mpg in the city, the Ford Escape 34 mpg, and the Toyota Camry 33 mpg. Boston CleanAir CABS founder John Moore estimates that switching the entire Boston fleet of 1,900 taxis to HEVs would save about 5 million gallons of gasoline annually. In addition, hybrid taxis reduce smog-forming and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as create a green image for a city.


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    Title :

    Hybrid Taxis Give Fuel Economy a Lift. Clean Cities, Fleet Experiences


    Publication date :

    2009


    Size :

    2 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English