Taxi of Tomorrow

Nissan has won the “Taxi of Tomorrow” bid. I have never heard of this competition, but apparently it is used to decide on the future taxi cabs used in New York City. Nissans will be used in 2013 and forward. They also mention a fully electric version of the Nissan taxi, which will be released in 2017.

The new taxis will have mobile device charging stations and GPS systems. Once again, technology is permeating all aspects of life, even in a cab. When you think about it, the taxi system in NYC is rather dated. Old Ford Crown Victorias are everywhere with their gas-guzzling engines and there is very little technology available in the current taxis. The experience is horrible and I prefer to walk reasonable distances. Overall, I welcome the integration of new technology in the taxi system, but there are many other opportunities to integrate technology in taxis that are not being utilized. Tablet devices could be available for passengers and mounted in the taxis, of course for an extra fee. But then again, this may be a bad idea based on the driving habits of certain employees. Additionally, it is possible that cab users do not care about the cab experience. Most are just in a hurry to get somewhere. These upgrades to the taxis could be meaningless.

Sources: http://media.il.edmunds-media.com/nissan/ns/nissan_f34_ns_111710_717.jpg