New York City Orders 500 Hybrid Buses and Allows Hybrid Taxis

October 26, 2005

DaimlerChrysler announced on October 11th that its commercial buses unit has received a contract for 500 hybrid-electric buses from New York City transport services. New York City Transit has ordered 216 Orion VII hybrid-electric buses and Metropolitan Transportation Authority has ordered 284 hybrid buses. According to DaimlerChrysler, the order is the largest ever for hybrid buses, and follows previous orders for the city that totaled 325 hybrid buses. The company also sold 56 hybrid buses to the San Francisco Municipal Railway in August. The Orion VII hybrid bus is propelled by a single electric motor, powered by an energy storage system and a generator, which in turn is driven by a diesel engine. BAE Systems developed the hybrid system. See the press releases from DaimlerChrysler and BAE Systems.

Hybrid vehicles will soon be appearing in a popular form of transit in the city: the taxicab. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission authorized the use of hybrid vehicles for taxicabs on October 16th. A city law passed last year required the commission to approve at least one hybrid vehicle, and the commission didn't hold back: only the two-door Honda Insight was excluded from the approved list. See the commission's announcement and the full rule (PDF 114 KB). Download Adobe Reader.