Abu Dhabi: Fifteen hybrid taxis have joined Cars Taxi’s fleet of 6,000 vehicles, officials announced in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
The cars are expected to consume 35 per cent less fuel than conventional vehicles apart from producing lower carbon emissions.
By the end of the year, Cars Taxi hopes to operate 100 hybrid taxis across the UAE.
The taxis will be marked in blue and will have the same tariff as normal petrol-based vehicles. There will be no reduction in tariff.
“These taxis can save more than Dh50,000 in fuel costs for every 700,000km,” Abdullah Sultan Al Sabbagh, executive director of Cars Taxi, said. “They cost between Dh100,000 and Dh110,000 in comparison to regular Camrys that cost about Dh70,000.”
Jon Williams, managing director at Al Futtaim Motors, that is providing the hybrid Toyota Camrys to Cars Taxi, told Gulf News that the hybrid cars are self-sustaining as the battery pack included gets recharged by itself from the kinetic energy emitted through braking. “In the beginning of this year, Cars Taxi bought a fleet in Dubai and this is the second one from us,” he said.
“Both systems, the electric motor and the petrol engine operate in parallel. The driver will not have to do anything as the car seamlessly alternates between the two as needed depending on the amount of power needed,” he said.
In response to a question asked by a member of the Egyptian Embassy on the sidelines of the launch, Al Sabbagh also stated that the company is welcoming Egyptian drivers to apply for jobs.
