Automakers reserve hybrids for NYC taxi fleet

Nissan North America, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday they are setting aside the environmentally friendly cars to help the city reach its goal of making all yellow cabs green by 2012. Today there are about 13,000 cabs on the street, including more than 1,300 are hybrids.

New city regulations require that any new cab coming into service after Oct. 1, 2008 achieve a fuel efficiency standard of 25 miles per gallon. The following year, that increases to 30 miles per gallon.

The standard yellow cab in use today, the Ford Crown Victoria, gets only about 14 miles per gallon. But some hybrid models, which run on a combination of gasoline and electricity, achieve as much as 36.

The government does not own the city's yellow cabs, but sells licenses to drivers and operators, who must purchase vehicles that meet the specifications of the Taxi and Limousine Commission. The agency regulates and licenses all for-hire vehicles in the city.

Some taxi fleet owners had recently complained to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration that there would not be enough hybrids available on the market for all drivers to meet the city's fuel efficiency regulations by the deadline.

Bloomberg said the help from the auto companies now guarantees that won't be a problem.

"We want to ensure there is more than enough supply to meet the demand for hybrid taxis," Bloomberg said in a statement.

Nissan has committed to making available 200 of its Nissan Altima hybrids per month, General Motors is providing 50 of its Chevrolet Malibus and Ford is offering 50 Ford Escape hybrids, the city said.

Both the city and taxi driver advocacy groups acknowledge that drivers or fleet owners will have to spend more money upfront when purchasing hybrid vehicles, but point out that they will save money on fuel. The Taxi and Limousine Commission estimates that a hybrid cab saves a driver $6,500 per year.