Mar 1 2008
Mayor Bloomberg announced a new initiative today that will require all black cars operating in New York City to meet higher fuel efficiency standards. There are currently over 10,000 high-end car service vehicles known as black cars in the city, many used by large investment banks and law firms.
"By reducing harmful air pollution and the demand for fuel, hybrid vehicles present a smart investment for vendors and clients in New York City," said Jack D. Hidary, Chairman of SmartTransportation.org. "We applaud the efforts of Mayor Bloomberg, the leading investment banks and law firms as well as the Partnership for NY in making this initiative a reality," stated Hidary. "We would like to see cities across the US follow New York's example."
Black cars often spend significant amounts of time idling in front of their clients' buildings. An idling vehicle emits twenty times more pollution than one traveling thirty-two miles per hour. Changing these vehicles to hybrids, which have minimal emissions while idling, will greatly improve New York's air quality. New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) will vote on the proposal April 10th. The proposal's high mileage standards are currently only attainable through hybrid technology.
In 2005, SmartTransportation.org took the lead in advocating for hybrid taxi cabs in New York. Today the city has over 800 hybrid taxis on its streets, and Mayor Bloomberg has mandated that the entire fleet change to high-mileage, low-emissions vehicles by 2012.
Mayor Bloomberg stated, "Between yellow taxis and black cars, more than 23,000 TLC regulated cars will be required to be more efficient. This will allow us to achieve substantial emissions reductions for our City- and keep us moving towards our long-term goal of creating a truly sustainable City."
TLC Chairman Matthew Daus explained, "Not only will the greening of the corporate car fleet reduce its carbon footprint for a cleaner environment, but black car drivers will see more green in gas savings and passengers will also enjoy riding in newly purchased vehicles as well."
Lincoln Town Cars, the vehicles most often used as black cars, are EPA-rated at 15 miles per gallon in city driving, whereas equivalent hybrid vehicles can achieve twice this mileage and pollute far less. Many drivers report 11 mpg with the Lincoln Town Cars in real world conditions.
The two-wheel-drive version of the Escape Hybrid, now being used for yellow cabs in the city, achieves more than 30 miles per gallon in city driving and close to 500 miles per tank of gas. If black car drivers used hybrid vehicles getting similar mileage, they would be able to go an entire shift without taking time to fill up.