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New York’s 10,000 Black Cars to Go Hybrid
1 March 2008
New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) will require black cars—the large sedans (often Lincoln Town Cars) that primarily service corporate clients—to increase fuel efficiency standards to a level currently achievable only by using hybrid technology.
In December, the TLC voted unanimously to approve regulations that will require all yellow taxis licensed after 1 October 2008, to meet fuel efficiency standards currently only achievable through the use of hybrid technology. Black cars currently release 272,000 tons of CO2 equivalents annually, which make up 2% of the City’s transportation-related emissions. Under the new standards, emissions from black cars will be cut in half.
Currently, black cars average 12-15 mph. The TLC will require fuel efficiency standards for new licensed black car vehicles of 25 mpg in 2009 and 30 mpg in 2010. Many black cars line up, idling in front of office buildings in Midtown and Lower Manhattan awaiting customers. With hybrid powertrains, the engines will shut down instead. Also included in the proposed rule change is a requirement for vehicle retirement. The TLC currently does not set a vehicle retirement age for for-hire vehicles like it does for the yellow taxis. There will be a retirement phase-in cycle that will ensure almost all vehicles associated with black car bases are more fuel-efficient by 2013.
To help drivers finance the down payment associated with buying a new car, the City has worked with partners in the financial sector, auto dealers, and black car fleets to develop a range of solutions that will finance the higher down payment.
Over the past several months, the companies that use black cars have been meeting with drivers, base operators, car dealerships, and financing groups to figure out the best way to achieve a greener fleet. In the end, they asked the City to take a regulatory approach. We’ve come up with a proposal similar to the new yellow cab standards, which the TLC board approved unanimously last December. 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.
—Mayor Bloomberg
Hybrid cars will save owner-operator drivers upwards of $5,000 per year in gasoline expenses—approximately 50% of their current fuel costs. These savings will allow drivers to cover, in just one year, the additional cost of purchasing a new hybrid car over the currently used Lincoln Town Car. As part of PlaNYC, the City proposed a State law to waive the City portion of the sales tax for vehicles that meet the EPA Elite standards for energy efficient vehicles, and the City is looking forward to working with State Legislators this year to enact that proposal. The City is also working with the Partnership for New York City and several financial institutions on a program to provide financing.
In addition to an Investment Fund spearheaded by the Partnership for New York City, SmartTransportation.org and Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers has partnered with Executive Transportation Group (ETG), the largest black car supplier in New York, to jointly fund a first-of-its-kind lending company, Green Car Funding Corp. to provide low interest loans to ETG black car owner operators to purchase new hybrid vehicles.
Through extensive consultation with users, fleets, and drivers—including demonstrations of the new vehicle types&madsh;the Mayor’s Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability and the TLC have identified several efficient vehicle models that will have widespread acceptance, including: Toyota Camry Hybrid, 33 mpg (city); Toyota Highlander Hybrid, 27 mpg (city); Nissan Altima Hybrid, 35 mpg (city); and Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD, 34 mpg (city). In addition, other models may include: Lexus Rx400h AWD, Ford Escape Hybrid AWD, and Toyota Prius.
Outreach to dealerships indicates that there will be an adequate supply of vehicles. In addition, two networks of dealers of the most promising vehicles&mash;Best Ford Taxi and Hudson Toyota / Penske Automotive Group—have committed to making financing packages available to black car drivers. TLC will not penalize drivers who show proof that they have ordered a vehicle that meets the standard, but the vehicle has not yet arrived.
The plan to improve the fuel efficiency of the 10,000 black car fleet was envisioned as part of the Mayor’s PlaNYC 2030, a set of 127 initiatives aimed at reducing New York’s carbon emissions and meeting the challenges of the City’s growing population. (Earlier post.)
March 1, 2008 in Hybrids, Policy | Permalink | Comments (38) | TrackBack (0)
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If Ford had had a little foresight they would have announced a hybrid version of their Town Car some time ago. Hybrids are a no-brainer for this kind of application, when the cabs started changing over to the Prius, someone at Lincoln should have seen the writing on the wall. You can't blame everything on the Unions.
Posted by: Neil | Mar 1, 2008 7:19:43 AM
Well said Neil. Where are their product marketing and strategy groups at?
Posted by: Mike L | Mar 1, 2008 7:49:26 AM
Is there some reason Bloomberg and all public officials can not take public transportation. Maybe it is time for public initiatives banning limos. I want to see the speaker of the house shitting in the backseat of a Corolla. Sandwiched between two car seats.
Posted by: Kit P | Mar 1, 2008 8:52:54 AM
With that many cars, someone could start a company converting them to hybrid dual fuel. It might cost $50k each, but it is just money :)
Posted by: sjc | Mar 1, 2008 9:26:34 AM
All the more reason why a start/stop mild-hybrid should be a requirement for all new cars.
Posted by: DS | Mar 1, 2008 9:41:34 AM
They will just probably buy Ford Escape hybrids and paint them black. That is the easiest thing to do and Ford is an American car company.
Posted by: sjc | Mar 1, 2008 9:47:45 AM
Now order the same thng for limousines for goverment officials. Better yet, ban government limousines.
Posted by: Stan Peterson | Mar 1, 2008 9:57:40 AM
Ban present-day government limos, but also their cousins, the thirsty V8 "Police Interceptor". No PD or taxi operator needs these things. And yes, anyone that can retrofit a belt-driven starter/alternator system should do well.
Posted by: fred diesel | Mar 1, 2008 11:35:19 AM
hm, lame that camry is listed as one of the "official" models, while prius os one of the "may work" models. doesn't really make much sense – prius is cheaper, gets better mileage, and has more interior and cargo space. the only issue is rear head clearance for passengers, but i'm sure that with orders of this size they could get some customization shop to lower the back seats a bit...
Posted by: lensovet | Mar 1, 2008 11:45:18 AM
"Is there some reason Bloomberg and all public officals can not take public transportation."
Mike Bloomberg rides the subway to work.
Posted by: Jason | Mar 1, 2008 12:30:12 PM
Ford would have been much better off if they had expanded hybrid production to the Crown Victoria. Every police force/mayor in the country would have jumped through hoops to be able to boast that they had cut their carbon footprint by more than 50% while allowing the police to operate their computers without leaving the engine idling all the time like they do now.
That having been said, the hybrid fleet should be expanded to at least two or three more types of cars, i.e the Crown Vic, the Town Car, the Edge, Fusion, or Ranger. What I really wish, though, is that Ford would make the electric motor more powerful and the engine smaller.
Posted by: Ziv | Mar 1, 2008 1:07:20 PM
Late this year Ford is suppose to have a Fusion hybrid based on the Escape setup. They have a 75kw motor in the Escape and with the 2.5l I4 it should have plenty of pep.
Posted by: sjc | Mar 1, 2008 1:35:44 PM
There is a larger force at play here. Will government finally move to protect our people or will the energy companies (read Big Oil here) continue to dictate energy policy based on their lobbying power, campaign contributions, and favors to our national politicians.
Mayor Bloomberg has stepped up and is trying to force sane decisions by the car companies. Several Governors get it. Will the new President respond with a workable energy policy? Will Congress wise up? It's still a long time until this administration leaves office in January. Let us pray!
Posted by: Lad | Mar 1, 2008 2:12:36 PM
First off, the TLC should not be insisting on any particular technology. Instead, it should define only CO2 emissions standards in addition to the regular toxic emissions regs. A T2B5 diesel engine with start-stop functionality will solve the problem at lower cost than a full gasoline hybrid will.
Another point to bear in mind is that limousine drivers idle their engines to keep the A/C or heating running (depending on season). They could - and would - cut the ignition by hand if they could deliver the high level of comfort their customers expect without burning expensive fuel. Better thermal insulation of the passenger compartment would help in winter. Relocating the waiting areas such that they are in the shade of buildings or trees or else, covering them with a roof, would help in summer.
Posted by: Rafael Seidl | Mar 1, 2008 3:19:04 PM
Jason, thanks for the correction about Bloomberg. It is nice when the super rich live some kind of modest lifestyle.
Posted by: Kit P | Mar 1, 2008 6:30:02 PM
I'll bet the GM large SUV hybrids will be added to the list and become the vehicle of choice for the luxury ride crowd.
Posted by: Wells | Mar 2, 2008 9:54:37 AM
"...efficiency standards for new licensed black car vehicles of 25 mpg in 2009 and 30 mpg in 2010."
Since the large hybrid SUVs from GM get maybe 20 mpg, I do not think that they qualify and is probably why they were not listed. Turning the Lincoln Town cars into hybrids in a conventional way with the same engine might only yield 20 mpg as well.
Now if you replaced the Lincoln engine with a smaller one in a series hybrid configuration, you might meet the mileage goals. Neil Young is having a 1959 Lincoln converted that way and claims mileage beyond 30 mpg. The car has not been on the road yet, so that is yet to be seen.
Posted by: sjc | Mar 2, 2008 10:57:16 AM
re: hybrid Crown Vic - I think both the Crown Vic and Merc Grand Marquis share the same powertrain with the Town Car. Main difference is the wheelbase, but the engine, transmission, and rear end are basically the same. One question I have, if you make the Town Car Hybird - wouldn't that make it easier to size the hybrid drives as companies customize for longer wheelbases.
Posted by: Jim | Mar 3, 2008 1:17:28 AM
WATER FUEL
THERE IS ALWAYS THE RELIABLE OLD STAND-BY; RUN A CAR ON WATER--HYDROGEN.
ELECTROLISIS OF WATER YEALDS HYDROGEN & OXYGEN. DELIVER BOTH TO THE AIR INTAKE OF A CAR MOTOR AND THE SUPPLIMENTAL HYDROGEN FUEL WILL KICK THE MPG UP 35 TO 50%.
AUGMENT YOUR EV WITH A HEV THAT RUNS ON PARTIAL HYDROGEN FUEL.
LEO WELLS
Posted by: LEO WELLS | Mar 3, 2008 6:13:52 AM
Leo, You keep repeating this mantra, that we can run our cars on water, or more precisely that we can run them on hydrogen that we make onboard from water. We all share your wish to run our cars on water, solving both the peak oil and climate change problems at the same time. Sadly, however, we can't, and your shouting in all caps won't make it so. There was a good series in Science Magazine on this subject; maybe you'd like to read up on it. Who knows? You might be able to overcome the technical obstacles to your proposed solution. :-)
Posted by: Mick | Mar 3, 2008 9:22:10 AM
If you would like more info on hybrids, taxi's, and black cars...please visit www.smarttransportation.org
Posted by: Jack Hidary | Mar 3, 2008 10:24:29 AM
It would be great to see some national (or coalition of states/cities) action on this same issue. It's a total no-brainer since the cabbies/drivers will actually be making more money as well as cutting emissions. The only challenge is financing the initial purchase, but NYC's solution seems to work.
The benefits of this would be many:
* GHG/foreign oil reduction.
* Hasten the commercialization of more hybrids.
* Reduce noise polution in the cities.
* Cabs that are newer, more comfortable and more appealing to riders. Cabs are not mass-transit, but they are an important link in mass-transit networks.
The approach NYC has taken sure seems like now-hanging fruit with out any downside or public cost.
Posted by: jvp | Mar 3, 2008 10:31:38 AM
Please can someone answer this for me. If you look at every single car available in N.America in terms of fuel efficiency, the Ford CV, Town car and Marquis must be one of the lowest in the whole list (of cars).
Why then are they used as cabs? Surely they would be the last choice to be used in a stop-start city?
What am I missing?
Thanks in advance.
Posted by: | Mar 3, 2008 11:52:45 AM
I would say that Ford makes good deals to these people much like automakers in general court the car rental people. It is a way to get the cars sold/leased and keep the production lines running.
I do not think that Toyota promotes the Prius in that way, nor does any other manufacturer of hybrid autos, because they can sell as many as they can make already.
On the demand side, taxis and limo drivers like roomy cars for their passengers and large trucks for all the luggage. Car makers could promote small fuel efficient non hybrid cars, but there would be very few takers.
Posted by: sjc | Mar 3, 2008 12:02:44 PM
THANKS MICK FOR YOUR KIND REMARKS
BUT I'M TOO DUMB AND TOO BUSSY WITH OTHER TRIVIA TO TELL THE AUTO MAKERS THAT WE HAVE ALTERNATORS AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TODAY THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO USE HENRY FORD'S INVENTIVENESS IN TODAY'S VEHICLES. MAYBE YOU OR JOHN TAYLOR OR THE OTHER GENIUS WHO READS THIS BLOG COULD GET THE "RUN CARS ON WATER" CONCEPT WORKING BEFORE WE RUN OUT OF OIL, OR WORSE, CAN NO LONGER AFFORD FORIGN OIL.
LEO WELLS
Posted by: LEO WELLS | Mar 3, 2008 7:34:02 PM
Leo,
I have emailed Mike and you will soon be history...bye bye!
Posted by: sjc | Mar 4, 2008 8:52:42 AM
Leo,
Where does the energy come from to perform the electrolysis? Hmmmm?
The long answer is that electrolysis and subsequent combustion of hydrogen is a net energy loss, so one must have yet another fuel (or storage) on board to generate the electricity to free the hydrogen from the water.
Short answer: WON'T WORK LEO!
Posted by: John | Mar 5, 2008 11:53:40 AM
Doh! My comment was for a hydrogen-electrolysis only situation.
(at least it wasn't ALL in caps....)
Posted by: John | Mar 5, 2008 11:55:20 AM
Leadership does count and the comments regarding Bloomberg are on target. I work in the energy policy field and politics has been an influential variable in the relative progress of alt fuel development.
Posted by: Matt Futch | Mar 5, 2008 6:59:06 PM
Better yet, ban government limousines
I like this one.
Airforce one? please
Posted by: paul | Mar 6, 2008 8:14:14 AM
Just a little support for poor Leo . Perhaps the other gentlemen that claims "It won't work " when it comes to adding Hydrogen to your fuel stream to boost mileage will look at sites like www.runyourcaronwater.com or www.water4gas.com . There one could educate themselves on unique systems that are very easy to adapt to most cars . I am certainly glad that people like Tesla and Edison never subscribed to the mantra of "It won't work"
Posted by: wes | Mar 15, 2008 11:06:28 AM
All taxis and limos should be hybrid, in all cities.
Taxis drive 100x more miles than regular people. That's where the impact would be the greatest.
Posted by: Soccer_F1 | Mar 16, 2008 12:04:18 AM
wes,
Those devices do not produce any meaningful amounts of H2 and O2. Some sell for less than $50. No one disputes actual provable and repeatable evidence about H2 and O2 in combustion, but these devices are pretty much worthless.
Posted by: sjc | Mar 17, 2008 1:17:53 PM
The Nissan Altima Hybrid would pretty much fit the bill right now. It seems to be a well kept secret, it's a hell of a car.
Posted by: steve | Mar 18, 2008 7:51:17 PM
Ford Escape hybrid (34 mpg city) is available in at least 2 shades of black. It's a nice little 5 passenger vehicle. I talked to the local Ford dealer this weekend. Unfortunately, they didn't have one in stock, and the fleet guy checked other dealer's inventory online. There's a whole 7 Escape hybrids in the entire state of Washington. Not exactly like Ford is doing a bang up job pushing 'em out of the factory, and if the fleet guy's line of B.S. is correct then Ford doesn't seem very committed to hybrids long term. They are just "doing the hybrid thing" for now.
Gov. Bill Richardson has directed the New Mexico state General Services Division to investigate the purchase of 100 Tesla all electric WhiteStar luxury sedans. Methinks the Tesla WhiteStar, due out in 2010, could be NYC's future "black cars".
http://tinyurl.com/399gvb
If Tesla makes good on 2012 for delivery of it's $30K all electric BlueStar sedan, then I am so there.
Posted by: Ken Grubb | Mar 25, 2008 8:47:17 AM
lincoln town hybrid please thats the right car for limousine in nyc the rest or all of the about R to small.
Posted by: emolino | Jun 25, 2008 7:51:22 PM
let be clear regular car cost $camry $24000/hybrid 30000
where is the gas serving money 7000 diff in price give me a brake please gov. scam
Posted by: emolino | Jun 25, 2008 7:56:16 PM
Limelite Coach Works of Santa Clara, Calif.—which builds a variety of stretch limos from Hummers and Escalades to Mini Coopers and Jaguar XFs—recently added more than 13 feet to a Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. LimeLite Business Development Representative Mike Williams told HybridCars.com that it’s the first hybrid limo off the line for the company, and was sold before it was finished being built. Zbest Limos of Baltimore, Md. will soon put the vehicle into service.
Williams noted that limo services historically have not paid much attention to fuel economy, but rising gas prices have given them new interest in the savings offered by hybrids. The company believes that using the Tahoe hybrid can yield up to 80 percent fuel savings compared to a comparable non-hybrid model.
When parked, all of the electronics in the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid limo run off the battery while traditional limos need to run the gas engine to power toys such as flat-screen TVs, Karaoke machines, full-service wet bars, and multi-color neon lighting. In the company’s first conversion, the usual purple neon lights were switched to green.
LimeLite has more hybrids on the way. Shop foreman Miguel De la Vega said the stretch of 160 inches in the first Tahoe was conservative—they now feel they can go to a more extreme 220-inch stretch. The company had no problems dealing with the high-voltage hybrid system, though De la Vega said he was “very careful.” All of the Tahoe’s hybrid system remains intact. In a standard limo, they would have added an additional battery and a beefed-up alternator.
Phil Restivo, president and CEO of LimeLite, told HybridCars.com that the hybrid limo business is just beginning. “The hybrid Escalade is coming in October,” he said. Since the standard Escalade is one of LimeLite’s big sellers, he thinks the hybrid version will also be popular.
Posted by: Mike | Sep 24, 2008 10:02:27 AM
