NY introduces the "taxi of tomorrow" using yesterday's fuel
A brand new taxi design was unveiled last week in New York to little fanfare, possibly because the newly-launched, tech-enabled Nissan NV 200 &ldquo;Taxi of Tomorrow&rdquo; runs on fossil fuel combustion, which many New Yorkers see as a missed opportunity to bring the iconic NY cab into the future. Over the next 10 years, NYC taxi organisations will direct about 80% of their fleet to adopt the new car, even as electric vehicle sales will continue to build for the rest of the auto industry. The new cabs are hoped to give the ailing local taxi industry a better chance of taking on Uber, but local reports thus far have been rather underwhelming.&nbsp;
The boxy yellow vehicle is a survivor. It won a competition to redesign New York City’s taxi. It endured a pothole-marred course in Arizona meant to replicate the city’s rugged streets. And it prevailed in a legal battle and overcame the election of a new mayor who had been a vocal opponent.

On Tuesday, the vehicle, known as the Taxi of Tomorrow, finally becomes the city’s yellow cab standard.

The Nissan NV200, more minivan than muscle car, is a major makeover for the city taxi, which has evolved with memorable (the Checker) and not-so-memorable (the Crown Victoria) incarnations. After a decade of planning and debate over the taxi’s fate, most owners will now be required to switch to the Nissan model when they retire their cabs.