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Automotive

Nissan's "Taxi of Tomorrow" enters production

By Ben Coxworth
August 27, 2013
Nissan's "Taxi of Tomorrow" enters production
The Taxi of Tomorrow is being built today
The Taxi of Tomorrow is being built today
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Some of the features of the Taxi of Tomorrow
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Some of the features of the Taxi of Tomorrow
The Taxi of Tomorrow is being built today
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The Taxi of Tomorrow is being built today
The Taxi of Tomorrow is powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder engine
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The Taxi of Tomorrow is powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder engine
The Taxi of Tomorrow should be on the streets of New York as of this fall
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The Taxi of Tomorrow should be on the streets of New York as of this fall
The vehicle is being built at the Nissan assembly plant in Cuernavaca, Mexicot
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The vehicle is being built at the Nissan assembly plant in Cuernavaca, Mexicot
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Well, it’s official: this is the future. It must be, as the Nissan NV200-based “Taxi of Tomorrow” is now being manufactured. The vehicle marks the culmination of a project run by the Taxi and Limousine Commission of New York City, in which taxi drivers, owners and passengers were asked to submit ideas for what features should go into a purpose-built NYC taxi cab.

The vehicle is being built at the Nissan assembly plant in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where the stock NV200 is also assembled. As outlined by the automaker, some of the things that make the Taxi of Tomorrow special – along with its yellow-and-black checkerboard paint job – include:

  • Room for four passengers and their luggage
  • Transparent roof panel
  • Independently controlled rear air conditioning
  • Active carbon-lined headliner to help neutralize interior odors, along with antimicrobial easy-to-clean seat fabric
  • Overhead reading lights for passengers, and floor lighting to help locate belongings
  • A mobile charging station for passengers, including a 12-volt electrical outlet and two USB ports
  • Flat, "no hump" passenger floor area
  • A low-annoyance horn with exterior lights that indicate when the vehicle is honking, so the horn is used less frequently
  • Hearing loop system for the hearing impaired
  • Driver and passenger intercom system
  • Lights that alert other road users that taxi doors are opening

Additionally, according to Nissan, it is the “only taxi ever to be safety tested and certified with full taxi partition.”

The Taxi of Tomorrow is powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder engine
The Taxi of Tomorrow is powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder engine

Some people might be disappointed to learn, however, that the Taxi and Limousine Commission apparently doesn’t think that electric vehicles are the way to go – the Taxi of Tomorrow is powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder engine, albeit one that’s designed to be clean-running and fuel efficient. That being said, in a separate project, six Nissan Leaf EVs are being tried out as NYC taxis.

The Taxi of Tomorrow should be on the streets of New York as of this fall.

Source: Nissan

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AutomotiveNissanTransportTaxis
15 comments
Ben Coxworth
Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.

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15 comments
Nairda
Vehicle manufacturers listening to customer suggestions ! Now there's a futuristic concept in itself.
Seriously though, electric drive or otherwise, there is no substitute for a minivan/mini-bus when it comes to general people transport. 1. Ease of access 2. Low to the ground 3. Flat floor 4. Luggage capacity 5. Lots of passengers 6. Sliding door 7. High roof 8. And in some facing seats, so you can have a face to face conversation.
When driverless models come of age, with the advent of a fold out table, an ideal space to hold impromptu meetings or finishing off some work
Robert Hannent
They should just have gone with the TX4 from LTI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TX4 Purpose designed, available with petrol or diesel or even hydrogen fuel cell engines.
JPAR
agreed Robert - the TX4 does most of this already and seats 5 passengers, not 4.
Rob Creek
As much as I'd love to see the TX4 pound the streets of New York, a lack of Automatic Gearbox in LHD models, and no real crash-testing make this a major 'no-no' in the states, add to this the high price (particularly as an import) and the poor reliability record and a lack of back-up infrastructure in the US, and the TX4 looks like an absolutely crazy option.
@paulvcassidy
The only way to make progress on the climate change and hydrocarbon agenda is to begin electrifying all the major cities starting with New York which is on the direct firing line in terms of catastrophic flooding events. By working backwards from all major cities/conurbations over 10M inhabitants down to those over 1M over the next ten years we could make some real progress. New York ought to the prime-mover and lynch-pin in all of this. Ecowatch headed with "As Sea Levels Rise, Coastal Cities Face Flood Damage Exceeding $1 Trillion", August 16th stating that "More than 40 percent of these prodigious costs could fall upon just four cities—New Orleans, Miami and New York in the U.S. and Guangzhou in China". The article included a picture of a completely flooded Manhattan with low rise buildings totally submerged. On August 26th. Ecowatch headed with "World Petroleum Use Sets Record High, Asia Remains Largest Consumer", with graphs showing American dominance being marginally impacted by recession and Asia's rapid growth. America needs to set a good example and New York is the place to do it commencing with the Taxi fleet with a view to making the city electric vehicle only where private transport is concerned within a year.
Having gained a life from Shalehas and now from a virtual take over of Canadian Tarsands America has secured it's own energy needs into the future. It does not need to engage in oil wars. It can afford to set an example where the conservation of the Arctic and Rainforests are concerned ensuring the carbon and financial transaction taxes are directed at conserving these critical Earth biomes. Hydrocarbon industry is a dirty industry but we are all culprits to a greater or lesser extent. The industry itself needs to be taking the lead, with it's doppelganger the automotive industry, by setting example where example can be set and New York is surely the place to start. Once that ball gets rolling London and a raft of European cities might be expected to follow suit followed by a raft of North American cities. Are we really going to sit back and imagine that the day of reckoning will pass because it wont'. It will surely come and when it does New York will not just be flooded it will be destroyed. There will be no starting over. The scale of the damage will be so bad that all the insurance companies associated with the risk will go to the wall and the people so traumatised that they simply will not return. The city will become infested and remain a toxic environment for decades.
So the Taxi's are bright yellow, have USB ports and charge points. Are these bozos in Nissan and the Taxi and Limousine Commission for real? And as you point out the Nissan Leaf is there as a ready made alternative which is already being rolled out. Back to the drawing board I'm afraid or else start investing in water wings and diphtheria prevention. Nissan and the Taxi & Limousione Commission could lead the global switch to electric transport by making New York the flagship project. America's moral authority is bankrupt as we speak. This is one obvious way to restore lost credibility simple as home cooked apple pie. Why would they not take advantage of it?
@paulvcassidy Facebook.com/TransitionRegions
Ecowatch links: http://ecowatch.com/2013/coastal-cities-face-flood-damage-exceeding-1-trillion/ http://ecowatch.com/2013/world-petroleum-use-sets-record-high/ http://ecowatch.com/2013/leaked-science-report-climate/
ZekeG
A diesel hybrid would make sense- power and fuel economy what more really does a driver want. Solar panel built into the roof for extra juice and running fans to keep it cool. Body of composite that does not shatter or dent easily, bumpers that actually bump off of things not allow damage.
Mirmillion
Now, if they could just make them driverless and odorless, the service they would be doing for the public would be a five-fold improvement.
@paulvcassidy
Donal Weber sees Tokyo as 'The perferct place for the world to end', but I suspect he's wrong, New York is far more exposed and far more critical to the survival of Western capitalism. Rather than heading the Ostrich parade NYC really needs to be leading the way asap because 2021 - let's say - ain't that far away. Imagine if NYC, London, Tokyo and New Orelans, which is also critically exposed, started the ball rolling and it began here with a decision to opt to convert the taxi fleet. Or else imagine not. Here's some thoughts and images on the world to come. People may say that we will never get there but as sure as night follows day we will. Photographing the Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi3OA1tNFfo
Sergius
It could be look more like a "cabriolet" than with a "van" ...
hummer boy
Ideal CAB is a 1980's era Lincoln Towncar. ROOM, FAIRLY GOOD FUEL USAGE, AND DURABILITY. Several in WASHINGTON DC have over 1 million miles on original engines and still going.
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