Yellow cabs going green

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NEW YORK (AP) --The city's yellow taxi fleet will go entirely hybrid within five years, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced yesterday.

"There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City," Mr. Bloomberg said. "These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes, belching fumes.

"This does a lot less. It's a lot better for all of us," he said of the hybrid plan.

Nearly 400 fuel-efficient hybrids have been tested in the city's taxi fleet in the past 18 months, with models including the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the Lexus RX 400h and the Ford Escape.

Under Mr. Bloomberg's plan, that number will increase to 1,000 by October 2008, then will grow each year until 2012, when every yellow cab -- currently numbering 13,000 -- will be a hybrid.

Hybrid vehicles run on a combination of gasoline and electricity, emitting less exhaust and achieving higher gas mileage per gallon.

The standard yellow cab vehicle, the Ford Crown Victoria, gets 14 miles per gallon. In contrast, the Ford Escape taxis register 36 miles per gallon.

In addition to making the yellow cab brigade entirely green within five years, the city will require all new vehicles entering the fleet after October 2008 to achieve a minimum of 25 miles per gallon. A year later, all new vehicles must get 30 miles per gallon and be hybrid. Mr. Bloomberg made the announcement on NBC's "Today" show.

Hybrid vehicles are typically more expensive, but the city said the increase in fuel efficiency will save taxi operators more than $10,000 a year. Yahoo Inc. said it would donate 10 hybrid Ford Escapes for the city's effort.