We’ve seen Tesla cars turned into patrol vehicles, even models that are not yet sold like the Cybertruck, o en official vehicles of administrations, but today our protagonist is a Tesla Model 3 turned to taxi.
It is the first unit of the Californian model to offer this passenger transport service in the city of NY and the youtuber Sam Sheffer has taken advantage of show us on video How is it the experience of taking this taxi, for now unique in the emblematic North American city, driven by a proud taxi driver named Rami.
And is that the Tesla Model 3 has been recently approved by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to be approved as a taxi. Although it is not the first electric car to act as a taxi in the city: we must not forget that the Nissan NV200 became the official model for this purpose.
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A yellow Tesla Model 3!
The first thing that stands out about this Model 3 converted into a taxi is that it is its colorful yellow bodywork, a tone that is not available in the color palette, somewhat concise, offered by this model and in general the cars of the Californian firm.
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Of course, it also has the labels that distinguish all the taxis in the city, as well as the ceiling lights and the identifier of the taxi in question.
In addition, when accessing the cabin, we find the classic bulkhead that separates the front row from the rear, but also carries integrated a dataphone to make payment by card and an information display that is placed on the headrest of the passenger seat. The usual meter is not missing either, as is obvious.
However, this taxi brings with it the inherent advantages of the Model 3, such as the huge multimedia display of the tablet type and in horizontal arrangement, as well as the safety and driving assistance systems that this car equips. He’s not the only one who makes it clear, but not all NYC taxis are modern …
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Rami is delighted with his new mount, he used to drive Toyota Camry and Sienna taxis, especially when it comes to car cameras and they offer him a 360º view of everything around the vehicle: “With this car there is no blind spot“, he says.
And to that we must add the expectation that the Model 3 turned into a taxi arouses: “Many people stop me every day just to take pictures of the car,” says Rami.
He also thinks that the inclusion of the Tesla Model 3 in vehicles approved for taxi in the city will be good for the sector, which has also been seen there hit by VTC platforms. Which by the way, already have Tesla models for a long time.
Only 129 kilometers of autonomy
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However, not everything is good in the Model 3 taxi. Specifically, the variant that Rami drives is the Standard Autonomy Plus: on paper, this version approves approximately 430 kilometers of range, but this taxi driver points out that with fully charged batteries it offers a range of 386 kilometers.
Although that figure is not the real one either: “They are not exactly 386 kilometers, but about 129 kilometers, mainly on cold days. “And we already know that the electric car battery it suffers when the temperature is very low or high, affecting autonomy.
Add to that the type of driving, and in normally crowded New York you tend to accelerate to get around traffic or run through a light quickly before it turns red.
When it comes to charging, it is also a disadvantage: instead of five minutes it takes an hour to recharge your taxi’s batteries. A price that also pays any electric.
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Another problem encountered by the Model 3 taxi is the door opening: the outer handles are hidden in the bodywork, so there are many customers who do not know how to open them and Rami has to help them. The same happens from the inside, because instead of a handle, it is a button that opens the doors. Tesla stuff.
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Be that as it may, Rami says he has achieved his dream with his new taxi, not in vain he is the first taxi driver in the city to offer his services with this zero-emission car.
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