New York City’s streetscape is about to undergo a significant change in the few years, as the new Official Taxicab Vehicle–also known as the “Taxi of Tomorrow”–makes its way from a factory in Cuernavaca, Mexico, to the Big Apple’s byways.
Based on the Nissan NV200, the OTV was selected in 2011 by the Taxi and Limousine Commission of NYC to become the exclusive taxi for the city. The upgraded NV200 was designed with the input of New York taxi drivers and passengers, and has been designed specifically for the purpose of being a cab. The suspension tuned specifically to New York City’s driving conditions. The NV200’s flat floor and sliding doors made it an ideal candidate for the job.
Other amenities in the OTV that were designed with input from passengers and drivers include a transparent roof panel, rear air conditioning and opening side windows, a navigation system, a “low annoyance” horn, an active carbon-lined headliner to reduce odors and overhead reading lights. The new taxis will even include mobile charging stations with USB ports. In terms of safety, the NV200 is the first taxi ever to be crash tested with a full partition, and Vehicle Dynamic Control is standard.
The OTV will be produced exclusively by Nissan in Mexico, where they’ll roll off of the NV200 line wearing New York taxi yellow and ready for service. The OTV will start being phased in in late October, when all unrestricted medallion cab owners will be required to replace retiring taxis with an OTV or an approved handicap-accessible or hybrid-electric vehicle.
