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U.S. Department of Energy
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Comparison of fuel economy and emissions for diesel and gasoline powered taxicabs. Final report, June 1976-April 1979

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5505017

The objective of this study was to assess potential improvements in fuel economy and exhaust emissions by dieselization of the taxi fleet in a large urban area. Sixty-six diesel powered taxicabs and an equal number of gasoline powered cabs were operated for 120,000 miles each in three taxicab fleets in New York City. Identical cabs were powered with either 198 CID diesel engines or 225 CID gasoline engines. Test results from all cabs were used to determine fuel economy and exhaust emissions. On the road, the diesel cabs had 50 percent better fuel economy than the gasoline cabs; the diesel exhaust emissions (HC, CO, NOx) were lower than the gasoline exhaust emissions over the life of the test. Emission from the diesels did not appreciably degrade with vehicle age; emission from the gasoline cabs increased appreciably.

Research Organization:
Department of Transportation, Cambridge, MA (USA). Transportation Systems Center
OSTI ID:
5505017
Report Number(s):
PB-298609
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English