Standard Taxi

[BiggJohn]

One seriously homely vehicle - with a great personality.

http://www.standardtaxi.com/

GM drivetrain
~$25,000.00
The Standard Taxi is available out of the factory with three fuel options: gasoline, compressed natural gas (CNG), and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

[cngacrossusa]

Re: Standard Taxi

Sad to say this "standard taxi" looks like a go-cart with plastic body bolted on!! Also, the tires look awful tiny. Don't know who makes it, but if it is offered in cng, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

Too bad that Honda didn't just come out with a station wagon version of the Civic GX with extended length and cng bottles all stored underside within the frame. Also, likely would have to be a bit wider so it could be setup for 5 passenger car. Or Toyota could just re-introduce the Camry cng which is perfect taxi - - already 5 passenger with big trunk, even after a 11 gge tank is installed.

Actually, the best vehicle I've seen that really SHOULD be a taxi all across the USA is the GM/Opel Zafira cng which is a terrific van with 4 or 5 cng bottles all stored underside within the frame. I'd love to get one of these and retire my old 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan with 185,000 miles!! However, GM in their "wisdom" only sells this cng van in Europe. BOYCOTT the US automakers like GM, Dodge, Toyota & Ford until they sell cng cars here in USA that they offer in other parts of the world, AND re-introduce cng vehicles here in the USA!!

[cnghal]

Re: Standard Taxi

I hear you brother!
The OEMs, EPA, and OPEC are laughing thier asses off because all we have is the GX and this FUGLY POS offering from T. Boone Pickens (Old Oil, Clean Energy). It also uses a GM Crossfire POS for an engine which should have been out of production long ago.

Keep up the good fight!

Hal

[jetboatjohnny]

Re: Standard Taxi

Actually I like that engine, it is actually the same as a 350 with two cylinders missing. It was an economic solution for GM because it uses the same pistons, rods etc. as the V8.
I have that engine in my Astro Van, and it still runs strong after 210k miles.
I get 20 mpg towing 2 watercraft, and have gone over 500 miles on a tank many times.

[cripple_rooster]

Re: Standard Taxi

These american GM V6 and V8 engines are reported to be the best to run on CNG. Honestly I don't understand why they didn't release factory-fitted CNG versions of their trucks to the regular market. I have already seen a lot of S10s and Blazers with CNG tanks placed where the spare tyre regularly goes. Even some police Blazers have this setup. About the Opel Zafira, since its side doors are narrow it wouldn't be so easy to allow side-entrance for a wheelchair, then requiring either a lowered internal floor or a raised roof (I prefer a lowered internal floor due to the aerodynamic effects of a raised roof, but it would require different CNG tanks because the ones fitted where the spare tyre goes in a regular Zafira would need to be replaced by longitudinally-mounted smaller ones to allow a wheelchair to fit in the rear compartment).

[GunGuy]

Re: Standard Taxi

I figured this would be the most fitting place for my first post. I thought I would give you some updated info. The yellow bird taxi idea has been scraped, it was replaced with the MV-1 http://www.vpgautos.com/. GM powertrain was dropped and Ford 4.6L is in, there is only a gas and CNG option no LPG. Check out the spot Jay Lenos garage. http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/extras...rage/vpg-mv-1/

[cripple_rooster]

Re: Standard Taxi

Would have been a more reasonable choice to retain the GM driveline instead of the Crown Vic's one. But the newer design is better.