Ford First With Natural Gas Taxis on New York Streets
21 August 1997
Ford First With Natural Gas Taxis on New York Streets
NEW YORK, Aug. 21 -- Like many concerned parents, New York
City taxi driver Silvio Martinez wants clean air for his children, and he's
doing something about it.
Martinez today accepted the keys to a new Ford Crown Victoria
natural gas-powered taxi cab at Universal Ford in Long Island City, New York,
becoming one of the first cab drivers to purchase a natural gas version of the
popular sedan. The car is the first factory-built alternative fuel vehicle to
be used in New York's taxi fleet.
"I see buying my natural gas Crown Victoria as the way I can personally
make a difference," says Martinez. "The fuel is less expensive, the
performance is great and it will be an important step in cleaning up the air
for my children and my grandchildren." In fact, if the city's 11,700
medallion cabs were operated on natural gas, 2600 tons of pollution annually
would be eliminated from New York City's air.
The taxicab sedan is based on Ford's NGV Crown Victoria and is the
cleanest internal combustion car on the road today meeting stringent federal
and California emissions standards. "This means significantly lower levels of
carbon monoxide, reactive carbons and nitrogen oxide are emitted from the
vehicle," said John Wallace, director of Ford's Alternative Fuel Vehicle
Programs.
"The natural gas taxicab is another example of Ford's ongoing commitment
to develop alternative fuel vehicles that are of the highest quality, meet
customer needs and make significant contributions to the environment," said
Wallace. "New York cabbies have been asking that an alternative fuel vehicle
give them the ability to drive a full shift without having to refuel -- this
taxicab delivers that range."
Through a variety of monetary incentives, the State of New York, Ford and
Brooklyn Union are encouraging taxi drivers to purchase natural gas vehicles.
Under new laws in the city, cab drivers are all required to buy a new vehicle
between now and April 2000. A natural gas vehicle will be allowed to remain
in use for two years longer than a gasoline-powered taxicab.
Brooklyn Union will supply a free month of fuel for each natural gas
taxicab purchased. Support for the project is also being offered by New York
State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Gas Research
Institute. Additional support has come from New York City's Taxi and
Limousine Commission, Department of Transportation and the Mayor's Office of
Transportation and the Texas General Land Office.
Brooklyn Union is opening a new natural gas fueling station at John F.
Kennedy Airport to help support the need for increased fuel infrastructure in
the city. Two more stations will be added in the near future. The company
also maintains 13 other refueling stations in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten
Island and has been a leader in promoting the use of natural gas as a
transportation fuel for almost two decades. Today, Brooklyn Union dispenses
1.9 million equivalent gallons of natural gas annually. The U.S. Department
of Energy recently recognized Brooklyn Union for having one of the leading
alternative fuel fleets in the nation.
The NGV Crown Victoria is one vehicle in a lineup of Ford natural gas
products that also includes a dedicated natural gas F-250 pickup truck and
Econoline van and bi-fuel Ford Contour sedan, F-Series pickup and Econoline
van. Ford offers the industry's broadest range of alternative fuel vehicles
(AFVs) and last year sold more than 90 percent of all AFVs in the United
States.
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
