Hybrid car technology is here. Several companies now make cars that run on electricity but use gas to generate that electricity. This is a very important development, because it means that:
- The car is not using any fuel when stopped, even at a light;
- When the car goes downhill, it can slow down by regenerating and storing electricity rather than heating up the brakes;
- The car can use the gas engine to turn the wheels if needed, but in town it mostly runs on electricity.
- These cars get upwards of 50 miles per gallon.
Who needs hybrids most? Those who drive the most, like commuters and taxis. Especially taxis.
In New York City, 12,000 taxis drive over six hundred million miles and consume about forty one million gallons of fuel per year.
In cities around the world, taxis are burning fossil fuels at an alarming rate. By getting cities to convert taxis to hybrid technology, we’ll save millions of gallons of gas per year.
I’m looking for people to help launch a new web site, hybridtaxi.com. It’s going to be a hub of information to help people in cities worldwide convert their taxi fleets to hybrids. I want to create the single place to go if you want to help your city convert. There will be information, articles, links, discussion groups, and news about people making progress around the globe. Perhaps even a conference some day (wouldn’t that be cool?).
Recently, a mainstream scientific magazine editor offered to help me launch the site. So I have the egg - now I need the chicken. I need to build a web site that will recruit even more people once they read about our efforts.
You can help! Whether you’re a web developer, a programmer, a writer, a photographer, a designer, or anything else, if you’re interested in helping we can use you. You’re invited to join our discussion group by going to ...
Please introduce yourself and join the discussion. This is just getting going. We need your energy and talent! Please come join us and see how you can help. You can also email me directly: david@dsiegel.com
