22.12.2021 at 00:00 am
đ€Ą The Ford Mustang Mach-E hits the streets of New York City as the latest electric vehicle to join the ranks of the city’s iconic yellow taxi fleet.
Gravity, a startup focused on electric fleets and charging infrastructure, operates the Ford Mustang Mach-E as a yellow cab with classic taxi icons.
This is the first time that Ford’s new electric vehicle has been used as a taxi. But it won’t be the last.
Gravity says it hopes to operate a fleet of 50 electric vehicles comprising the Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y.
âI think the Mustang Mach-E and Model Y are a bit like the perfect taxis available today, » said Moshe Cohen, founder and CEO of Gravity.
Gravity is not the first company to use electric vehicles as taxis. And in 2019 the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission approved Tesla’s Model 3 as the first electric vehicle to qualify as a yellow taxi.
A year later, the first Model 3 was spotted in the city. Earlier this year, Revel announced a plan to launch 50 Model Y cars as a rental fleet in Manhattan. This is despite the fact that the city later banned this plan.
Gravity is going down a different path by integrating its vehicles into the city’s organized fleet of yellow taxis.
The cars were given permission to use them as taxis under an electric vehicle pilot program approved by the New York City Commission for Taxi and Limousines earlier this year.
But to do that, Gravity needs to rent a city-issued permit to allow people to own and operate taxis. The company is certified as a taxi agent, which means it is authorized to rent permits.
The Mach-E Mustang passed approvals and inspections by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. But Cohen said there are likely to be additional features that may require future approval.
Ford Mustang Mach-E has become a taxi: đ
Cohen said Gravity has installed an AI camera that tracks the driver’s face to prevent distraction. The company also tracks vehicle speed and other driving maneuvers to ensure drivers are operating safely.
It can be difficult to find the infrastructure for charging electric vehicles in New York City. But Gravity operates its own charging station outside a parking garage in midtown Manhattan.
Cohen said the company plans to install more chargers in the future, including fast chargers capable of providing speeds of up to 350 kilowatts.
More taxi operators are incorporating electric vehicles into their fleet, encouraged by cost savings and marketing possibilities.
Car rental companies are also involved in this. Hertz recently placed an order for 100,000 Tesla cars. The demand news sent shares up in both companies, pushing Tesla’s valuation above $1 trillion for the first time.
Written by:
CEO of OTTO Magazine
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