Dubai’s hybrid taxis get green look
I figured I should go over Dubai’s heavily-hyped hybrid taxis a bit more, considering the general media is happy just reprinting press releases. Operated by the much-loved Road & Transport Authority (RTA), the cars — five Chevy Malibu Hybrids and five Chevy Tahoes Hybrids — are beginning their one-year trial to see if they survive the Middle Eastern heat and whether they actually save any fuel in this publicity stunt.
The two cars are not available to the general buying public, but they were thankfully made available to Civil Defence personnel for training, so that firemen don’t shock themselves while trying to cut passengers out of the high-voltage taxis after the inevitable accidents. A set of taxi drivers also got training, although we doubt it involved teaching them to stop for brown people.
Hybrid cars run on petrol, but they use systems to harness energy that is otherwise lost during braking, for use by an electric motor to help propel the car in non-straining situations. It is already known that it takes five years of driving to make up the extra cost of a hybrid through fuel savings when compared with a similar non-hybrid car, and that’s with higher American petrol prices. So the only real reason for hybrids here would be to reduce emissions, exactly as the RTA has stated, although any improvements in our non-existent smog problem will be unnoticeable. The green stickers are a bit misleading, to say the least.
Listed below are the essential specs for the two hybrids, as well as for a common non-hybrid Toyota Camry that is already in use as taxis, for comparison’s sake.
2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
Engine: 2.4-litre I4 FWD + 36V motor
Power: 164 hp
Torque: 215 Nm
EPA Fuel Economy: 8.4 litres/100 km
2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
Engine: 6.0-litre V8 RWD/4WD + 42V motor
Power: 332 hp
Torque: 497 Nm
EPA Fuel Economy: 10.9 litres/100 km (RWD), 11.7 litres/100 km (4WD)
2005 Toyota Camry
Engine: 2.4-litre I4 FWD
Power: 160 hp
Torque: 221 Nm
EPA Fuel Economy: 9.4 litres/100 km
Comments
pradotlc
here is a simpler solution … get more buses!!!
thatsit(mohamad)
i cant say anything more than ha ha ha haaaaaaa 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Don
sounds wierd……anyways i spotted the new Nissan Maxima in Jafza(jebel ali freezone) today.its looking hot……from rear it looks more kinda german
RayD
😀 Hahahaha. How on earth did the driver manage to do that??!! Well, it does goes to show how good their driving etiquette is…
cb
thats what happens when you don’t stop for mash the hulk
assassin
well, taxi drivers know that the brown people don’t give tips at all,
.
thatsit(mohamad)
guys imagine what happened today?????
). at last.
i went with my brother in law to take his murano from al-aweer nissan workshop…i have alot of friends there…one of them is really a very kind man…i asked him for any information about the GTR in Dubai…then i was shocked with his answer 😯 😯 he told me the car is inside in the workshop and this one is the one they used it for testing(at the end i saw the GTR in flesh hehehe) i swear its something totally different from the pics on the internet..it has those huge tail pipes and the steering was on the right side 😕 😕 ..he told me they used it just for testing. really the car is huge. i took some pics for it(of course i was standing next to it
Don..you are right actually they are testing it in dubai(the american version). but what i know is that it maynot be launched this september(i hope not 😉 )
assassin
guys imagine what happened today?????
i went to take my LC from al-aweer Toyota workshop…i have alot of friends there…one of them is really a very kind man…i asked him for any information about the Lexus LF-A in Dubai…then i was shocked with his answer he told me the car is inside in the workshop and this one is the one they used it for testing(at the end i saw the LF-A in flesh hehehe) i swear its something totally different from the pics on the internet..it has those huge tail pipes and the steering was on the right side ..he told me they used it just for testing. really the car is huge. i took some pics for it(of course i was standing next to it ). at last.
Actually they are testing it in dubai(the american version). but what i know is that it may be launched next January.
Zao
i guess i should be goin to honda workshop today to pick my friend’s CRV…i might find a Honda NSX testing in dubai….
thatsit(mohamad)
assassin…you are right..the lexus LF-A is in the workshop…because of the accident they did before couple of hours from the 24 hours endurance in nurburgring 😉
Boris
hmm. I wonder how many times I’ve SUV taxis here… The ex-handsome Tahoe looks so wierd in that uniform. the ford escape hybrid has a better looking badge with only ONE leaf on its hatch, not a whole skirt made of grass!!! It looks gorrible[thats not a spelling error].
Anyway, its good to see that someones noticed there’s something not right in UAEs air!
mohd
2008 Chevrolet Tahoe taxis 😯 😯 😯 😯 😯 😯 😕 😕 😕 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁