Tesla’s Electric Taxis: A project by startup Revel to launch a fleet of Tesla electric taxis in New York City was thwarted by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), the agency that regulates and licenses Medallion taxis (yellow) as well as rental vehicles, vans and luxury limos in the Big Apple.
In a vote held on Tuesday (22), the commission, made up mostly of community representatives, voted by five votes to one to deny the license of Revel, which intended to put its fleet of 50 Tesla Model Y electric taxis on the streets . After a long meeting, the commission decided that it will not allow “another company, capitalist or not, to flood our streets with additional cars”.
TLC President Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk explained to MarketWatch that it would not be sustainable to allow an unlimited number of new vehicles to circulate in a city with historic traffic jams. However, the spokesman said Revel could operate if it bought 50 gas-powered cars and later switched its licenses to electric vehicles.
Revel’s reaction
Revel is a startup known for its fleet of electric scooters in New York. As it is very difficult to get a license for taxis in the city, the company planned to use fiscal incentives from the metropolis to speed up the project to implement electric cars as taxis.
After making investments in retrofitting the Model Y, adding a screen to the rear seat and removing the front passenger seat to create more space, Revel CEO Frank Reig told the Electrek website that the 50-vehicle purchase solution would gas is “the very definition of limiting competition in the market”.
According to the executive, in addition to a zero-emission taxi experience, Revel’s proposal offered fair treatment and stable payment for drivers, something TLC has been asking for for years. At a press conference, Reig stated that the company has not given up on “going to the streets” with its electric cars.
