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interesting facts about the Prius used as a Taxi

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Frank Hudon, Nov 21, 2004.

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  1. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    most importantly is the service records for the 2k1 and the 2K4 Prius. Also there is the video that Andrew Grant does about the use of the Prius as a taxi. Have a look it's near the bottom of the page.
    http://www.hybridexperience.ca/Toyota_Priu....htm#hybridtaxi
     
    #1 Frank Hudon, Nov 21, 2004
  2. 8AA

    8AA Active Member

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    I didn't realize that they had cars back in 1K4, let alone a Prius! ;)
     
    #2 8AA, Nov 21, 2004
  3. Hytec

    Hytec New Member

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    Frank,
    Thank you, that is a very informative, comprehensive, and non-biased report. I am forwarding the link to friends who have questioned me about the Prius.
    Hank
     
    #3 Hytec, Nov 21, 2004
  4. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hytec\";p=\"51928)</div>
    "non-biased"?? Are you kidding, that is so heavily biased in the positive for the Prius it sounds like a commercial or Infomercial! I think it's fantastic and I thought there was some interesting info, but look at how it was produced, very slick professional. Was there one negative comment about the Prius as taxi?? I didn't hear one...Lemme tell you that I'm sure Andrew has had to turn away a few fares in his days...Family of 4 with a week's worth of luggage maybe?

    Just b/c something is well aligned with your personal perspective doesn't make it non-biased...it's just biased toward what you believe. 8)
     
    #4 efusco, Nov 21, 2004
  5. wb9tyj

    wb9tyj 2017 Prius Prime Advanced

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    a taxi service here is thinking about prius for its fleet...am forwarding this to them...thanks for info...
     
    #5 wb9tyj, Nov 21, 2004
  6. harryg

    harryg New Member

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    Frank;

    Ditto hytec's response, I too will fw'd this to friends, thankyou!

    Harry
     
    #6 harryg, Nov 21, 2004
  7. Hytec

    Hytec New Member

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    Evan, by "non-biased", I was referring to the report as a whole, which addresses the pros and cons of most, if not all hybrids, based on both technical analyses and personal experiences. I assume the video is nothing more than a supporting bibliographical reference.
    Hank
     
    #7 Hytec, Nov 21, 2004
  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Hey Frank!

    You've found the same website! hehe. Yes, that video is informative. I sent that to a friend of mine and boy did she learn a bit from that!

    We can use that website for real-life mileage and emission data. I was browsing through the graphs. This could help answer a few questions such as topography & mileage (North Shore vs. Abbotsford) etc
     
    #8 Tideland Prius, Nov 21, 2004
  9. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    About the only thing that surprised me about the report is the apparent fact this was the ONLY Prius used in a taxi fleet? It seems to me, if you REALLY want to prove the durability of a car, turn it over to a taxi co. The car will quickly put on high miles, will be driven by drivers who could give a rat's a** about the car, and the car will receive indifferent - or none at all - maintenance. A police fleet is another good proving ground. If you want to prove a 4WD system, turn it over to a logger operating in North West Ontario and see what breaks over the first winter. I had hoped that Toyota had prototyped 100 of the Prius cars in Taxi fleets in Japan or North America, not by depending on the buyer to be the prototype tester.
     
    #9 jayman, Nov 21, 2004
  10. Hytec

    Hytec New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman\";p=\"51936)</div>
    I hope various Federal agencies and private companies buy some Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD and 2WD versions for use in severe environments, then add their experiences to this report.
     
    #10 Hytec, Nov 21, 2004
  11. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    Yellow Cab in Vancouver has 4 Prius (2k4) cabs in their fleet as of the last time I spoke to a driver, about 3 weeks ago. In a business where dollars saved is money earned, the less you spend on maintanace and fuel the more cars you can put in your fleet, and bury your competition. Yes Andrew will be the first to admit that he can't take 4 people and 4 sets of golf clubs at a time but it doesn't happen every day. Notice the Matrix bumper protector he's installed on the rear.
     
    #11 Frank Hudon, Nov 21, 2004
  12. prius04

    prius04 New Member

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    I've got 2 friends at work who are interested in the Prius.

    So I took this taxicab video and converted it to fit on my Palm Clie. Now I've got this on my PDA for future bragging.

    Maybe I can sell a few Prii.

    As for the Ford escape, I'm worried that the vehicle won't measure up and then end up detracting from the hybrid concept in the public's mind. I do hope that that is not the case however.
     
    #12 prius04, Nov 21, 2004
  13. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    what I found most interesting were the maintance records for both cars. As these fall under the commercial vehicle catagory in British Columbia they have very rigourous inspecitons requirements evey 6 months. No snags go unreported and not fixed. Brakes, exhaust, lights and steering etc. It will be interesting if he goes thru exhaust systems in the 2k4 as he did in the 2k1. And I also see he's had a throttle position sender replaced on the 2k4. Gas pedal to the layman. If you go back thru the page you'll see exhaust emission test results as Tideland Prius has mentiioned. I guess my wifes 2k1's results are in that batch. All in all a very informative site.
     
    #13 Frank Hudon, Nov 21, 2004
  14. Hytec

    Hytec New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(prius04\";p=\"51956)</div>
    The Ford Escape Hybrid is listed on the official Ford website. The EPA mileage (~31/36) doesn't compare with the Prius, but I guess it's OK for an SUV. The starting prices are around $26K for the 2WD and $29K for the 4WD. Did Ford buy a license from Toyota for the Hybrid Synergy technology?
     
    #14 Hytec, Nov 21, 2004
  15. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    the official Ford story goes that they developed the whole system "in house" but their attorneys upon checking patent's discovered that there were areas that were so close to Toyota's patents decided to approach Toyota and licence them so as to avoid a pissing match in court.
     
    #15 Frank Hudon, Nov 21, 2004
  16. allenlux

    allenlux Junior Member

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    Some interesting long-term fleet data on the Priuses (and some other hybrids) are on this site:
    http://avt.inel.gov/hev.html

    John Allen
     
    #16 allenlux, Nov 21, 2004
  17. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    thanks John, a good site with interesting data.
     
    #17 Frank Hudon, Nov 21, 2004
  18. Jerry P

    Jerry P Member

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    Thank you Frank, for posting the link. The video is great to watch, as it reaffirms what we all believe the Prius is capable of as far as reliability. I'm sure more taxi companies will be looking at the Prius.
     
    #18 Jerry P, Nov 21, 2004
  19. DQ

    DQ New Member

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    Slowly but surely we're seeing more and more hybrids in taxi and courier fleets. Here in Victoria BC Canada there are currently 14 Hybrid (All Prius) taxis operating in two fleets. From my discussions with the companies, they are planning to buy more and more.

    In Vancouver BC the Yellow Taxi company has 4 Prius in their fleet with plans to add more. There are also courier companies who are operating the Civic hybrids in their fleets.

    In short, hybrids are the perfect technology for taxi drivers. I can't wait to see my first Purolator or FedEx Hybrid delivery truck cruising the roads. They're on the way!
     
    #19 DQ, Nov 23, 2004
  20. priusenvy

    priusenvy Senior Member

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    The owner of the Prius taxi said he gets 65-70mpg consistently. That's like a US driver getting 55 to over 58mpg consistently. I guess taxi driving is similar to the EPA city loop.
     
    #20 priusenvy, Nov 23, 2004
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