Dubai will soon go eco-friendly with hybrid taxis and buses
Dubai: A ground-breaking decision to introduce hybrid vehicles into Dubai's taxi fleet was announced yesterday.
The Dubai Government said the move to hybrid technology in the 6,000-strong fleet of taxis would be a gradual one.
It will cut both carbon dioxide emissions and pollution.
The decision follows the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that environmental issues should be given priority, as highlighted in the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015.
Other major cities which have already introduced hybrid taxis include London, Chicago and New York.
Eco-friendly decision hailed
Environmentalists have welcomed the Government of Dubai's decision to introduce fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles into Dubai's taxi fleet.
Habiba Al Marashi, chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group, hailed the move as "a very positive step".
"As environmentalists we are very heartened by this. Hybrid vehicles definitely are an alternative resource with cleaner technology," she said.
"What is important is that this initiative comes from the government. We look forward to more pushing towards renewable energy and renewable resources."
Hybrid vehicles have an internal combustion engine along with an electric motor, and have far lower fuel consumption than conventional vehicles.
Regenerative braking
Many rely on regenerative braking, which allows the vehicle to capture energy when it is travelling down a slope or the driver is braking, and store it for use later.
John Coequyt, an energy policy specialist for Greenpeace, said government rulings were "a very good way" of speeding up the move to hybrid technology.
"It's absolutely a step forward. It's very impressive that Dubai is ahead of most US cities and a lot of the rest of the world in making the switch to these more fuel efficient cars," he said by telephone from Washington DC.
"Not only are hybrids more fuel efficient [cutting greenhouse gas emissions], but they have a lot of additional benefits for urban areas in that they tend to be very clean and very quiet."
More than 75 per cent of the air pollution in Dubai is thought to be caused by vehicle emissions.
Plus factors
• Hybrid cars run on two motors-an electric motor and petrol powered motor.
• It has a special system to capture braking energy to store in batteries.
• On highways the petrol motor kicks in and can go over 64kmph.
• Electric motors work great in city rush-hour stop and go driving.
• They do not produce any exhaust.
• Hybrids are claimed to be most petrol efficient of all cars (77km/gallon UK to 95.5km/gallon).
