Electric cars are fine for traipsing to Whole Foods or dropping the kids off at school, but city officials plan to put the eco-friendly vehicles through the ultimate auto obstacle course — navigating the streets of New York as a yellow cab.
The Taxi and Limousine Commission today is expected to approve a pilot program that would add six electric Nissan LEAFs to the city’s taxi fleet to see if they can handle the rigors of the Big Apple road.
The biggest problem will be seeing how to make the charge last for a shift.
A full charge — which takes either seven or four hours, depending on the type of charger — lasts about 80 miles.
A typical New York taxi eats that for breakfast, averaging up to 150 miles during a single 12-hour shift.