Hybrid vehicles to replace Abu Dhabi taxis
Taxi franchisee Tawasul has received 852 cars and will eventually replace fleet of 1,347
By the end of the year, more than 1,000 taxis in Abu Dhabi will run on a combination of electric power and conventional fuel.
The hybrid vehicles are being purchased by taxi franchisee, Tawasul Transportation Company, to replace their entire fleet of 1,347 fuel-powered vehicles; 852 of these hybrid cars have already been delivered to them, Mohammad Al Qamzi, general manager at the Department of Transport’s Integrated Transport Centre, told Gulf News yesterday.
“The hybrid vehicles offer 70 per cent better fuel efficiency compared to cars running only on petrol. In addition, it is easier to maintain hybrid vehicles due to less wear and tear of the engine,” Al Qamzi explained.
“While there is an initial investment ■ involved, switching to hybrid vehicles makes longterm financial sense for our taxi franchisees, and we hope that the rest will soon follow suit.”
Al Qamzi was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference at which Toyota’s UAE dealer, Al Futtaim Motors, announced the handover of the first set of hybrid vehicles to Tawasul.
There are currently 6,147 taxis in the emirate, operated by eight franchisees and regulated by the Integrated Transport Centre.
As displayed at yesterday’s event, the new cars are all Toyota Camry hybrid vehicles, which run for 26km per litre of petrol. In comparison, a 2.5-litre petrol-engine Camry has a mileage of 17km per litre. Company executives announced that the 852 vehicles will therefore collectively help reduce 44 million kilograms of carbon emissions during their life cycle.
The hybrid vehicles also have another innovative feature: their batteries are charged automatically by the petrol engine, or when braking and decelerating, eliminating the need to charge them at a station.
Earlier this week, another franchisee, Arabia Taxi, received 454 Toyota hybrid vehicles. Since Arabia Taxi operates in multiple emirates, including Abu Dhabi, these vehicles will be distributed across its bases.