Later this fall, the all-new and completely redesigned taxis are due on the city’s streets.

This comes just two years after Nissan won a bid to redesign and supply the New York City fleet of cabs.

Since then the company said it has been singularly focused on perfecting the vehicle for passengers, drivers, and owners.

Recently the final official milestone meetings for key stakeholders took place in Manhattan. It was a chance for the Taxi & Limousine Commission, drivers and inspectors to react to the Taxi of Tomorrow prototype before production starts.

According to Nissan, this meeting, like the many before it, was designed to further refine the vehicle before it is put into service for the more than 600,000 people who hail a cab in NYC each year.

“Seeing the nobs and buttons put in place, seeing the screen where it is, seeing the whole thing come to life is really exciting. And that was just sitting in the back seat. When we started rolling, it really came to life,” said Andrew Salkin, deputy commissioner operations, NYC Department of Finance.

Nissan also said that from powertrain, to chassis, to interior fit and finish, the Taxi of Tomorrow demonstrates the type of innovative spirit that goes into all Nissan vehicles, on the city streets of New York and around the world.

An electric-powered version of the vehicle chosen does exist, but is not yet planned for taxi duty in NY.

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This pilot program, which puts six LEAF taxis into service beginning this spring, will help Nissan, the city, the taxi industry and the public understand how zero emission vehicles can be integrated into future taxi fleets.

Both Nissan and the mayor took the opportunity of Earth Day to announce the program, April 22.

“As part of our commitment to zero emission vehicles for the mass-market, Nissan is looking for ways to broaden the use of electric cars, including commercial applications like taxis,” said Joe Castelli, vice president, Nissan Commercial Vehicles. “Following the selection of Nissan NV200 as New York City’s Taxi of Tomorrow, our relationship with the city provides us the ultimate proving ground to conduct this LEAF taxi pilot to help optimize the use of electric vehicle technology for future applications.”

Nissan and partners in New York City will also install, as part of the pilot program, several CHAdeMO-based DC quick chargers, which will enable drivers to re-charge their electric taxis quickly during their shift.

With quick charging, the Nissan Leaf can be recharged to about 80 percent in under 30 minutes.

“Even though the Taxi of Tomorrow won’t be on the road for another six months, we’re already looking ahead to the taxi of the day after tomorrow,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “Nissan’s proven track record with electric vehicles will put us ahead of the curve in helping us answer important questions about incorporating electric taxis into the fleet so that we can achieve the goal of a one-third electric taxi fleet by 2020.”

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The city has plans to replace diesel buses and LPG taxis with electric-powered vehicles. Experts anticipate that this will reduce Hong Kong’s vehicle emissions by nearly 56 percent.

BYD concurrently unveiled its plan to introduce e6 pure electric taxis in the region in May of this year.

Chuan-fu Wang, chairman and president of BYD Company Limited, remarked, “Hong Kong has been dedicated to promoting green transport for quite some time – electrifying public transportation will not only significantly save costs, but it will also dramatically lower the city vehicle emissions and improve air quality, creating a tremendous social impact!”

BYD said the first fleet of 45, BYD e6 pure electric taxis are scheduled for launch in Hong Kong in May of this year. Meanwhile, BYD and multiple partners have already built and tested three charging stations in Oi Man Estate, Shek Wai Kok Estate and Wong Tai Sin.

The second batch of charging stations is expected to be set up before May with the expectation that each taxi will be complemented by a charging appliance. BYD is also collaborating with local industry partners to pursue further developments in electrified public transport for Hong Kong, including BYD 40-foot electric buses.

Public transport is one of the major sources of air pollution in cities. Replacing the eighteen-thousand (18,000) LPG taxis and twelve-thousand (12,000) diesel buses with electric taxis and buses would mean a reduction in emissions equivalent to over eight-hundred-thousand (800,000) private cars, a leap towards an ultimate target: low-city-noise, zero emissions and zero pollution.

BYD’s pure electric vehicles use an Iron-Phosphate (or Fe) battery, which touts industry-leading safety qualifications and superior life. The battery maintains high-performance capabilities over long periods of use and can stably withstand extreme conditions.

Taking the e6 pure electric vehicle as an example, BYD said that after 4,000 charging cycles, the capacity of the battery remains still remains at above 75 percent of its original capacity, and the total mileage can reach over one million kilometers (621,000 miles).

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The program is a partnership between the Rio de Janeiro City Government, Nissan do Brasil (NBA) and Petrobras Distribuidora.

In the first phase, two Nissan Leaf taxis will be available in Rio. By the end of the year, 13 more units will be added to the fleet.

Nissan said the first two electric taxis will be available at the Santos Dumont airport stand. Their batteries will be recharged in two Petrobras service stations at the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon and in the Barra da Tijuca area.

NBA was the only manufacturer to submit a proposal to the Rio de Janeiro City Government to select vehicles to serve as electric taxis.

The delivery ceremony was held today at Nissan do Brasil’s new headquarters in Rio with mayor Eduardo Paes.

Since its commercial launch in the U.S. and Japan in 2010 and in Europe in 2011, 50,000 units have been sold worldwide. The Nissan Leaf seats the driver and four passengers and offers a 160-kilometer range. The 48 lithium-ion battery can be recharged in up to eight hours or only 30 minutes via the quick chargers to be installed by Petrobras.

Through the initiative, the City Administration is encouraging clean and low emission technology, as electric vehicles produce no tailpipe pollution or greenhouse gas and are a sustainable alternative compared to cars powered by oil products.

The goal of the Rio de Janeiro Municipality, according to the city’s climate policy, is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 16 percent by 2016 compared to emission levels of 2005.

“In view of the major events to be held in Rio, we can improve the visibility of clean-energy vehicles so that production and consumption models can be changed to a sustainable system,” said Carlos Roberto Osório, Commissioner of the City Department of Transportation.

Two Petrobras service stations will be setup to offer fast charging to electric taxis: Posto do Futuro, at Barra da Tijuca, and Posto Escola da Lagoa, in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon region.

Electric taxi recharging at Petrobras service stations is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2012 between Petrobras and NBA to study the infrastructure expansion for electric vehicle recharging in Brazil.

The Nissan Leaf taxi delivery ceremony coincided with the official inauguration of Nissan do Brasil’s new headquarters in the modern Porto Brasilis building, where the company has been established since January.

NBA has chosen Rio to establish its new headquarters because of its investment in the construction of a new plant in Resende and sponsorship of the Rio 2016 Games.

Downtown Rio is a privileged location where the City Administration is promoting a revitalization project, including the old harbor area, known as “Porto Maravilha.”

The post 15 Nissan Leaf For Rio de Janeiro Taxi Duty appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The project’s objective is to showcase the car’s technology while building experience and evidence of the Nissan Leaf potential under various driving conditions in Mexico.

“The car is extremely easy to drive, a completely automatic car with no shifting of gears. The steering is very soft with no problem whatsoever. The mirrors are functional. The seats are very comfortable. It is a new car,” said Mexico City taxi driver Cristóbal Reynoso, about the Leaf.

There are 20 Nissan Leaf taxis in central Mexico City and another 50 in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes.

Charging infrastructures are also growing to support operations of EV mobility in both locations – including the first public electric vehicle quick-charging station in Latin America that was celebrated late last year.

“The reaction is 100 percent positive, once again, because it is a new car, and there are only 20 Nissan Leafs in Mexico City, a big difference. People ask you why is it so different compared to other cars? How do you charge it up? How many hours can you drive? How fast is it? How were you chosen to drive it? All these questions are very pleasant for me, so it is very fun,” said Reynoso.

The Leaf taxis are part of a program called Zero Emissions Taxis. Nissan said the 70 electric taxis have prevented about three tons of CO2 emissions from going into the atmosphere. That’s about how much would be released from that number of conventional gas cars.

“I think the Mexican people have very good acceptance with the Leaf. I mean they are very proactive with electric cars, with green cars. They are very proud to be part of this kind of initiative here in Mexico,” said Alejandro Viveros, leader of the Zero-Emission Business Unit for Nissan Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.

http://youtu.be/Q0fI-u3utvk

Nissan’s mid-term strategic global plan, known as Nissan Power 88 includes the objective of driving leadership in electric vehicles. This reflects the long-term perspective of the company, which plans to launch three new electric vehicles, besides the Nissan Leaf, including a light commercial vehicle, a premium Infiniti car and a new model for the entry-level segment.

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