Hybrids, here we come!

As the proud owner of a new Toyota Prius (49 mpg so far), I am pleased as punch to share a couple of pieces of news from Grist, the online environmental magazine.

Hail the Cabs!
Hybrid taxis to hit the streets of New York City this fall

Six different hybrid models will debut in New York City's taxi fleet this fall, thanks to a recent vote by the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission. Some commissioners had previously expressed reservations about the leg room (or lack thereof) in hybrids, but after test drives, one termed Toyota's Prius and Highlander "surprisingly roomy." The commission didn't have much of a choice -- Mayor Mike Bloomberg forced its hand by signing a bill that gave it 90 days to approve hybrids -- but commission chair Matthew Daus seems converted to curbing gasoline use, saying, "Pardon the pun, but I think bigger cars need to take a back seat." Allowing six different models into the fleet will enable the commission to learn which hybrids stand up best to the beating they're likely to take on the streets of the Big Apple.

Hybrid Fidelity
Toyota plans 10 new hybrids, invites automakers to eco-summit

Toyota is developing 10 new hybrid models and aims within the next few years to be selling 1 million of the gas-electric vehicles annually worldwide. That, says the company's U.S. head, Jim Press, will mean about 600,000 new Toyota hybrids each year on American roads, including hybrid versions of nearly every model it offers. The auto honcho pooh-poohed recent complaints that hybrid tech is being used to increase engine power instead of fuel economy, blaming that fact on automotive software and consumer driving habits. He predicts drivers will someday be able to push a button to choose between performance and mileage. Press is also inviting fellow automakers to join Toyota for a closed-door corporate summit on global warming and other issues, to proactively develop strategies for fuel-economy standards before regulators beat them to it -- although regulators in California did beat them to it, and Toyota has joined the lawsuit against the state. But whatevs.