The Problem
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Figure 1: Ford Crown Victoria Taxi gets 15 miles per gallon city and 23 mpg highway and even worse when running on E85 Ethanol fuel.
The next time you hail a Yellow Cab, you may have to pay more. Taxi drivers are stuck between a rock and a hard place so to speak. They either keep their Crown Victoria taxi, which is safe, large and spacious, and convenient for taxi use, but lose a large amount of their profit. Their other option is to buy a more expensive hybrid vehicle, which would cost the cab drivers less in gas, but it sacrifices safety, size, and supply is low. An article in the New York Post, "Hybrid-Cab Deadline Has Fleets Fuming,” describes this issue. "…major hybrid providers Ford and Toyota can sell only a fifth of the number required to meet the directive." The problem is that New York mandates all taxis to be hybrid by 2012 and even if the mandate was lifted, gas prices still remain.
Why Not Hybrids?
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Figure 2: Hybrid Toyota Prius taxi.
I am not saying hybrids are a bad thing; I am just saying taxis should use natural gas vehicles. This would not only benefit taxi fleets and their customers, but also the environment. Hybrid sales are not in trouble; waiting lists are mile long. In addition, hybrids like the Prius were not made for taxi service and should stay in what they were made for: the consumer. Now, after saying hybrids should not be widely adopted for taxi use, they still can be used. Hybrids should be an option, but not the only option for taxi drivers in greening their fleets to save money.
The Solution
Since gas prices have been affecting taxis and taxis are the most polluting because they are driving all day, cab drivers have been looking for an alternative solution for a while. Ford, which provides the Crown Victoria commonly used for taxis (as well as limousines which have similar problems with rising gas prices), produced a natural gas powered version of the vehicle and taxi fleets in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and many more areas. Natural gas fuel costs between 69 cents a gallon to 3 dollars a gallon. Since Ford stopped production of the natural gas version, a company called BAF Technologies converts these vehicles for the same cost.
They are CARB and EPA approved meaning they meet the same quality standards, as Ford was required to meet. In addition, the warranty is not voided. The case for natural gas vehicles is that they have lower emissions than hybrids and the fuel costs less making them perfect for taxi (and limousine) use. Cab drivers can drive a vehicle that meets 5 star safety standards, has plenty of room, is convenient for taxi use, and saves them money every time they fuel their vehicle. A taxi driver can spend about 50 dollars a day while they could spend around 20 dollars or less using natural gas.
Limogreen
Limogreen is a limousine company that purchased their fleet of Lincoln Town Cars and had them converted to natural gas. They operate in New York and do not have to worry about gas prices while they also receive more customers because they are considered "green.” With hybrids, they would have to buy a different vehicle and sacrifice; the natural gas taxi just changes the engine, not the service.
Yellow Taxi
Taxis do not have to change their quality of the ride by switching their car to a natural gas vehicle. This is probably the most important part of the case for natural gas vehicles.
