Táxis eléctricos entram ao serviço na China

Do Jornal do Brasil: Táxis elétricos já estão cruzando as ruas de um dos países mais poluentes do mundo, a China, informou a agência EcoDesenvolvimento. Dos 5 mil veículos verdes previstos para entrarem em circulação até 2012, 50 já estão transportando passageiros pelo distrito de Yanqing, perto de Pequim, como afirmou a Xinhua, agência oficial da China.

A economia que estes táxis elétricos trarão será da quantia de US$ 4,5 mil em combustível de veículo, gerando uma economia de cada unidade equivalente à plantação de 1,1 mil árvores, segundo informaram as autoridades do trânsito chinês .

O projecto em marcha em Yanqing, subúrbio de Pequim, é apenas um passo no plano chinês de incentivo aos carros elétricos. A China confirmou que pretende lançar 5 milhões destes carros até 2015, e que, já em 2020, esses 5 milhões estarão nas vias dos país.

Para carregar a bateria de todos esses carros, o governo estima implantar ainda cerca de 10 mil postes carregadores de energia. As autoridades prometem estimular também os consumidores a comprarem os veículos híbridos ou elétricos, de tecnologias limpas, para tentar reduzir as emissões de CO2 dos milhões de carros de combustível que circulam por essa nação.

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New York City to ditch yellow cabs for greener taxis?

From the BBC: Nothing screams New York more loudly than the city's yellow cab, but city officials hope the next generation of taxis will be, well, a bit more green.

New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission chairman David Yassky, who is overseeing the search for a new design, says the city hopes to replace the current fleet standard, the gas-guzzling Ford Crown Victory.

"It's done great work," he says. "But it's time for a new car. The Ford Crown Victoria gets 12 miles to a gallon. It's not the most comfortable ride in the back, and while it's a design that everyone associates with the New York City cab, it's time to freshen it up."

The finalists in the competition to design the next generation of yellow cabs include car manufacturers Nissan, Ford and Karsan of Turkey. The results will be announced in mid-January.

'No choice'

The competing designs are all roomier and more fuel-efficient than the current yellow taxis, which number about 13,000, and they all bear more than a passing resemblance to the most modern black cabs in London.

City officials are thinking of giving one manufacturer the contract to build all of New York's cabs - a change from the current situation where 16 different models of taxi are made by nine different manufacturers, although the majority are Ford's Crown Victoria.


The competing designs - including this Nissan - are all roomier and more fuel efficient than current cabs The potential move to one manufacturer is not popular with veteran taxi driver John Caines, who is devoted to his Crown Victoria.

"It's as New York as Broadway, as Manhattan as Times Square," he says. "It's my office, my production facility, my way of earning income."

Every morning, he gets up, washes his cab, and heads out to see what the day brings. Mr Caines does not want to part company with his current vehicle, and dislikes the idea of one manufacturer making all of the city's taxis.

"What about choice?" he asks. "Where's my freedom to choose? And what if that one manufacturer can't get you the parts when you need them? It's risky."

He also worries about how much the new cab might cost.

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Related post: London to ditch black cabs for green taxis

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London to ditch black taxis for green ones

From 1 January 2012 licences will not be issued for the iconic Hackney carriages that are more than 15 years old, London's mayor Boris Johnson has announced. According to the mayor's office, road traffic is responsible for about 80% of airborne pollution in central London, with black cabs contributing 20% of it.

In ten years time, black cabs could disappear altogether and be replaced with electric vehicles such as the one Volkswagen has opportunely unveiled today with the classic London black livery (it was previously presented in Milan and Berlin liveries). The Volkswagen Taxi could reach a top speed of 119 kph (74 mph) and has an estimated range of 299 kilometers (186 miles). The concept is shorter than the current smallest Volkswagen, the Fox, but was designed with a spacious cabin with room for two adults and an allocated area for luggage.

Sources: BBC and the Green Car Website

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