Nissan Leaf EVs, similar to those available from Norris Nissan West in the greater Baltimore area, are hitting the streets of New York City. They are not just rolling off dealer lots, but also as a taxi cab experiment NYC's Taxi of Tomorrow program.

6 all-electric Nissan Leaf hatchbacks will be around Manhattan, allowing you to hail a ride uptown, downtown, or across town (even into Brooklyn).

But this project, which began as a joint venture between NYC's Taxi Commission and Nissan back in 2007, doesn't only include EV and hybrid cars. Anti-bacterial seats, luggage room, and fuel efficiency improvements are all being looked into as years progress which will hopefully include a routine use of zero emissions vehicles in the city's taxi fleet.

In May, Nissan's NV200 was selected as the design for New York's next taxi, and is expected to go into service for 2013.

One thing that will have to change is driver habits: "Of course operating range will be an issue because the Leaf has a 62-138 mile driving range depending on driving habits. Achieving the 138 mile range would take the cabbie driving at a slower speed than they're typically known for. Charging stations will be installed at fleet garages, owner-drivers homes, and perhaps at the airports," adds one report.¹

It's a lofty goal, and this is just a small start for the program. NYC's cab fleet is comprised of 13,000 taxi's, about 4500 of which are hybrid.

Source: ¹http://www.torquenews.com/1075/nyc-deploying-six-nissan-leafs-taxi-tomorrow-pilot-program