Hybrid Taxis: Saving Money (and the World) One Fare at a Time
Hybrid cabs, now all the rage in New York City and San Francisco, as well as in Vancouver, are paying for themselves in fuel savings alone, according to the cabbie who picked me up the other day. He estimated that he was saving $20 per shift (times two shifts a day) on gas, more than enough to pay for the car over its three-year lifespan.
Grist has written about this before, but good ideas bear repeating.
TAGS: hybrid taxi, Richard Littlemore
The cabbies love their
The cabbies love their Priuses for three additional reasons:
1. The regenerative braking system (whereby the electric motor is used as a generator during deceleration, and in doing so acts to brake the car) has halved the cost of brake-pad replacements -- that's saving them some $300 per year per cab.
2. The sloped stern design of the Prius offers huge luggage capacity.
3. The cars are exceptionally reliable.
General Motors, Ford and Chysler/Daimler/Benz, take note.
Hybrid taxi cabs are taking
Hybrid taxi cabs are taking off in London, UK as well.
Climate Cars, here in North Kensington also use the Prius, so we're switching over to them, now that we're beaching the old banger.
All hybrids benefit in Central London from being zero rated for Mayor Ken Livingston's Congestion Charge. It was credited with having effected a 20% improvement in vehicle numbers entering the central zone. However, in February 07 Ken doubled the area, thus increasing the 'indigenous' vehicle population by perhaps 100% or more! We've not seen so much data on congestion since . . .
The Congestion Charge was set to change for certain categories wef February 08, but some pre-announced changes are now said to be under review.
While large engined vehicles (including most 4x4's) will find their 8 pounds Sterling daily charge going up to 25 pounds, hybrids and smaller vehicles (with Euro 4 emissions standards of less than 120gm/km CO2) were both to have been zero rated.
Now, we have heard, seemingly because sales of the small petrol and diesel cars have skyrocketed, the Mayor is considering excluding these small i/c engined vehicles. This would, if implemented (announcement expected in January 08) leave only electric vehicles, all LPG vehicles and hybrids in the zero-rated band.
Livingston seems to have done well on getting many more people onto public transport. Gauges of his measures to improve that public transport system vary depending on your route. Many tube lines ARE undergoing MAJOR revamps which can only be a good thing. And there seem to be more buses. Best is his electronic Oyster card ticketing system. It works a treat.
Wow, that's a savings of almost 82 cents/day!
"1. The regenerative braking system (whereby the electric motor is used as a generator during deceleration, and in doing so acts to brake the car) has halved the cost of brake-pad replacements -- that's saving them some $300 per year per cab."
Yeah, that should take the sting out of having to pay the five grand to replace the battery pack.
Or not.
I talked to a cabbie about
I talked to a cabbie about these cars in Vancouver. Several of the first generation Priuses were driven 250000km to 300000km with no significant problems. Toyota then bought them back for research purposes...there were no battery problems. The batteries are kept at an optimal charge level (60% I think). Since the batteries are never over-charged or undercharged, they tend to last a very long time.
Also, the newer models have replaceable cells, so that you don't have to replace the entire battery if one cell goes bad. And there are new battery technologies coming down the pipe that will provide huge increases in performance and reliability.
Taxi drivers do not take their car purchase decisions lightly. And they are in a better position than most of us to judge the economic benefits of owning a particular model of car. If taxi drivers are purchasing these cars, then I would strongly suspect that Priuses are extremely economical for urban driving.
Having ridden in Prius taxis
Having ridden in Prius taxis in Victoria, BC, another reason they're great is they're easy to get in and out of, have plenty of luggage space, and lots of back seat room (plus quiet and comfy). In fact, I find them better on the back seat and entry/exit aspects than the other popular cab, the much larger Ford Crown Victoria.