New York City’s iconic yellow taxi drivers will now have the option of the electric Tesla 3 model as their preferred choice of vehicle, after the government approved the car entry into the market.
Tesla say the Model 3 is a small, simple and affordable electric car with 220 to 325 miles range, which comes at a reasonable staring price of around $40,000 before fuel savings and incentives.
The taxis won‘t be no slouch at the traffic lights either with its high-efficiency powertrain, which provides a zero to 60 mph acceleration in as little as 3.2 seconds. So you won’t miss those all important business flights.
Just like all approved vehicles to operate as licensed taxis in the city, the Tesla Model 3 will be customised to meet official requirements with yellow paintwork, official decals and an illuminated taxi roof sign.
A partition within the vehicle will also be added as with all licensed yellow taxis.
The vehicle, with such an impressive battery range, is without doubt a great addition to the list of vehicle choices for drivers, but the next hurdle will be charging points.
The city currently has five official supercharge stations in Manhattan, and only a handful in the outer boroughs, with dozens of destination chargers dispersed throughout the city.
Arguably the world's most iconic taxis - the London Black Taxi, recently introduced two electric vehicles into its market - the LEVC’s TXE model and the Nissan Dynamo.
With the introduction of low emission zones in many cities now, the push to get licensed taxi drivers into electric vehicles is in full force. But with only a few options to choose from, which one is the best? You tell us.
Image credit: Tesla
