Unsafe At Any Speed? NY Hybrid Taxi Plan Hits A Bump

If you've been following the hybrid taxi saga, you know that the Taxicab and Limousine Commission in New York City has decreed that the Big Apple's taxi fleet must achieve certain emissions and mileage goals. The regulations require that all new taxicabs put into service after October 1, 2008 must be hybrids (or capable of achieving 25 mpg in the city). While some cab companies have started to comply with the regulation by putting hybrids into service, not everyone is happy about the regulations. Boston followed NYC's lead and put regulations into place requiring hybrid taxi use, ostensibly to curb carbon emissions.

Last month, a noted engineer, Richard D. Emery, released a report urging the suspension of the program because hybrid vehicles cannot immediately replace the purpose-built Crown Vic fleet mogul that has been in use since the "Checker" cab rode into the sunset. Emery's report alleged that using hybrids as taxicabs and requiring cages and other taxi-specific enhancements amounted to the creation of a new type of vehicle that could not be considered road-worthy until it has been crash tested with the modifications in place. Following the report, a federal court in New York put the brakes on the NYC TLC order and is expected to issue a ruling in the matter sometime later this month.

Enter the auto manufacturers. Toyota and Honda have now specifically warned against using their vehicles in taxi fleets. In addition, GM, Ford and Nissan have refused to certify the crash-worthiness of modified hybrid vehicles. Of particular concern is the bulletproof partition that separates the front and rear seats, although Emery's report detailed 95 specific safety concerns, ranging from the partition, to restrictions on the driver's ability to escape an exploding front or side airbag and the partition's interference with side-curtain airbag deployment.

Regardless of what the court decides, it's time to take a step back and examine the issue. From economic and environmental perspectives, the use of hybrid vehicles in taxi fleets is a good idea. Taxis run sometimes around the clock, generate a lot of exhaust and use a lot of fuel. From an engineering perspective, five major automakers have said unequivocally that hybrids were not designed for fleet use. From a safety perspective, it makes sense to wait until the technology and design of hybrid vehicles are such that they can keep drivers and passengers safe in accidents, and protect drivers from criminals who prey on them at work.

Clearly, however, there is a demand for heavy-duty hybrid vehicles. If I were an automaker right now, I'd have a heavy-duty fleet hybrid on my drawing board…

Photo Credit: David Lat