Golfer

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Via TheVerge

Ford Mustang Mach-E joins New York City’s yellow taxi fleet

2021-ford-mustang-mach-e-nyc-yellow-cab_3-jpg.jpg


The Ford Mustang Mach-E is hitting the streets of New York City as the latest electric vehicle to join the ranks of the city’s iconic yellow taxi fleet.

The Mustang Mach-E, with its fresh coat of Rally Yellow paint and classic taxi iconography, is being operated by Gravity, a startup focused on EV fleets and charging infrastructure. This is the first time that Ford’s new, mass-market EV is being deployed as a taxi. But it won’t be the last — Gravity says it hopes to eventually operate a fleet of 50 electric vehicles comprised of both Mustang Mach-Es and Tesla Model Ys.

“I think the Mustang and the Model Y are kind of like the ideal taxi vehicles that are available today,” Moshe Cohen, founder and CEO of Gravity, told The Verge.

Gravity isn’t the first company to deploy EVs as taxis. Back in 2019, the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission approved the Tesla Model 3 as the first EV eligible to become a yellow taxi. A year later, the first Model 3 was spotted in the city. (The Verge alum Sam Sheffer took a ride late last year.) And earlier this year, moped sharing company Revel announced a plan to launch 50 Tesla Model Ys as a for-hire vehicle fleet in Manhattan — though the city later blocked that plan. (The company eventually won approval.)

Gravity is going a different route by integrating its vehicles into the city’s regulated fleet of yellow cabs. The vehicles are authorized for use as taxis under an EV pilot program adopted by the TLC earlier this year. But to do so, Gravity will need to lease a taxi medallion, which is a permit issued by the city to allow people to own and operate cabs. The company is certified as a taxi agent, meaning it’s authorized to lease medallions. The Mustang Mach-E has gone through TLC approvals and inspections, but Cohen said there will likely be additional features to roll out that will require future approval.

Cohen said that Gravity has installed an “artificial intelligence camera” that tracks the driver’s face to prevent distraction. The company is also tracking the vehicle’s speed and other driving maneuvers to ensure drivers are operating safely.

EV charging infrastructure can be hard to find in New York City, but Gravity operates its own charging station out of a parking garage in Midtown Manhattan. The company plans on installing more chargers in the future, Cohen said, including fast-chargers capable of speeds of up to 350 kW.

In the US, more taxi operators are integrating EVs into their fleet, encouraged by the cost savings and marketing potential. Rental car companies are also getting in on the action, with Hertz recently placing a 100,000-car order with Tesla. (The news of the order sent shares in both companies soaring, pushing Tesla’s valuation over $1 trillion for the first time.)

Ford Mustang Mach-E Gravity launches Mach-E yellow taxi cab in NYC 2021-Ford-Mustang-Mach-e-NYC-Yellow-Cab_4


Ford Mustang Mach-E Gravity launches Mach-E yellow taxi cab in NYC 2021-Ford-Mustang-Mach-e-NYC-Yellow-Cab_3


Ford Mustang Mach-E Gravity launches Mach-E yellow taxi cab in NYC 2021-Ford-Mustang-Mach-e-NYC-Yellow-Cab_2


Ford Mustang Mach-E Gravity launches Mach-E yellow taxi cab in NYC 2021-Ford-Mustang-Mach-e-NYC-Yellow-Cab_1


Ford Mustang Mach-E Gravity launches Mach-E yellow taxi cab in NYC 2021-Ford-Mustang-Mach-e-NYC-Yellow-Cab_5


Ford Mustang Mach-E Gravity launches Mach-E yellow taxi cab in NYC 2021-Ford-Mustang-Mach-e-NYC-Yellow-Cab
 

Mach1E

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Gravity isn’t the first company to deploy EVs as taxis. Back in 2019, the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission approved the Tesla Model 3 as the first EV eligible to become a yellow taxi. A year later, the first Model 3 was spotted in the city. (The Verge alum Sam Sheffer took a ride late last year.) And earlier this year, moped sharing company Revel announced a plan to launch 50 Tesla Model Ys as a for-hire vehicle fleet in Manhattan — though the city later blocked that plan. (The company eventually won approval.)
I think the article writer needs quick history lesson. They are off by over a CENTURY.

https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...-history-of-the-electric-car-1830-to-present/

“Having built a few electric Hansom cabs [upper right] to compete with the horse-drawn vehicles then serving New York, they sold that idea to Issac L. Rice who incorporated the Electric Vehicle Company (EVC) in New Jersey. He in turn attracted big-money investors and partners and by the early 1900s, they had more than 600 electric cabs operating in New York with smaller fleets in Boston, Baltimore, and other eastern cities. In New York, the downtime it took to recharge batteries was addressed by converting an ice arena into a battery-swapping station where a cab could drive in, have its spent batteries replaced with a recharged set, and move on out. Brilliant, but like many a startup, it expanded too quickly, ran into unforeseen conflicts among investors and partners, and the whole taxi venture had collapsed by 1907.”
 


veronicablack

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I (obviously) love the MME. That said, I'm curious if the door open button will confuse people at first.

I don't have my MME yet but I'm already expecting having to do a little explaining here and there to friends and family trying to get in. Especially the backseat. Wonder what it'll be like when a bunch of people getting out of the bar late at night try getting in to this car with new doors.
 

GadgetTech

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I (obviously) love the MME. That said, I'm curious if the door open button will confuse people at first.

I don't have my MME yet but I'm already expecting having to do a little explaining here and there to friends and family trying to get in. Especially the backseat. Wonder what it'll be like when a bunch of people getting out of the bar late at night try getting in to this car with new doors.
Agreed, the few I have taken for rides were very confused by the no handle thing. The one saving grace is I believe NYC doesn't allow passengers for Yellow Cab to ride in the front so you wont have to worry about someone trying their best to rip the assist handle off... Maybe just a push here to open sticker on the back doors.
 
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billy_at

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Is anyone else kind of offended seeing their precious MME used as a taxi cab? Or a police car, as seen in another threaed?

Just me? :)
 

Mach1E

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Is anyone else kind of offended seeing their precious MME used as a taxi cab? Or a police car, as seen in another threaed?

Just me? :)
I’m cool with it. If anything it’ll be a good durability test.

So long as they don’t start using a ton for rental cars.

That’ll decimate the resale value of any car.
 

hitchhiker

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I (obviously) love the MME. That said, I'm curious if the door open button will confuse people at first.
Without a doubt, yes. When I first started driving EVs, I did Uber and Lyft driving just as an excuse to drive and talk EVs with random people. That was in a Tesla Model 3. I very quickly learned to just reach over and push the inside door button in the back seat to let people in. The vast majority would just stare blankly.

In the Tesla, I always had to explain how to get out, as well. I don't do ride share driving any more, so the sample size is much smaller, but that is a problem I haven't had in the Mach-e. Still have to tell people how to get in, though.
Sponsored

 
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