Boston's taxi fleet will be all hybrid by 2015
As Ellen reported back in July, Boston's Clean Air Cabs pilot program was a big hit with cabbies who were saving an average of $40 per shift on gas. Now, the city has passed a measure to require that all taxis operating in the city must be hybrids by 2015, that's about 5,500 taxis. Currently, Boston's fleet is made up mostly of gas-guzzling Crown Victorias, but as each vehicle reaches its retirment age of 6 years, it must be replaced by a greener alternative. While the measure should be a big step towards improving the city's air-quality, not everybody is happy about the change. Many among the city's 370 cab operating companies say that the switch won't be feasible. They say the trunk space in most hybrids is limited comapred to the Crown Victorias, and the batteries have to be replaced every couple of years for $5,000.
What strikes me as odd is the fact that the plan calls for only hybrids. What about EVs, LNG vehicles, or fuel cells? By 2015, who knows what will be available?
[via Inhabitat]
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