San Francisco taxi drivers are providing solid information about the outer reaches of hybrid battery life. At a recent Ford Motor Company event, Paul Gillespie, San Francisco Taxicab Commission president, said some of his city’s Ford Escape hybrid taxis had passed 300,000 miles of use with no problems.
In a personality shift that would make Madonna jealous, the hybrid gas-electric vehicle is being transformed from ecoweenie-mobile to lean green crime-fighting machine. Law enforcement departments across the country are considering the use of hybrid vehicles as police cruisers.
Ad campaigns from Ford and General Motors are increasing interest in hybrids. But the companies are not producing enough hybrid vehicles to meet customer demand. Ford and GM representatives point to lack of manufacturing capacity and insufficient supply of hybrid batteries. The result is high dealer markup for hybrid SUVs, according to a report from National Public Radio.
ZAP, the California-based electric car maker, is teaming up with Colorado-based Hybrids Plus to offer plug-in conversion systems for the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid.
