Taxis Dumping LPG Ford's For VW PASSAT Diesels

[Stoney!]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Are you a VW salesman or something?

Don't understand why you come on a Ford forum and talk about VW's in every thread.

Cause I can, and because the Australian motoring industry is an interest of mine, otherwise I wouldn't be a member here. I was simply giving information to someones observation dude, get over it.

Stoney!

[Rapid_Attack]

I have a Jetta, it costs me 80 pounds of flesh everytime I have it serviced.

Judging by how expensive the parts and labour are, I think they charge me in Euro!

Good little diesel though, wish the Falcon had a 2.7 tree puller in it!

[The Snout]

Originally Posted by The Snout

According to the latest Wheels magazine edition (which I don't have with me here so the numbers are from what I remember reading) ,

In 1995 there were 20000 Falcon wagons sold,
now there are only about 4000.

I don't think Marin had to downplay it very much.

I wanted to clarify what I said in this post now that I have my Wheels copy with me.

On page 28 Wheels say "Of 31000 Falcons sold last year, only 2500 were wagons."

Then on page 32 they say "Ford Oz built 20784 wagons in 1995, production halved to 11005 by 2005 and trickled to 4630 last year."

[vztrt]

Maybe VW are pushing their cars to try sell them this down the track?

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...0421-sse8.html

Cab that charges itself
MATT CAMPBELL
April 21, 2010

VW’s Milano Taxi is the first step towards a multi-model electric vehicle range to be on sale in 2013.




Volkswagen has unveiled a plug-in electric taxi that gives new meaning to the word Cabcharge.

The plug-in electric Milano Taxi concept is set to change the way people think about taxis. It's powered by an 85kW electric motor, which is linked to bank of lithium-ion batteries integrated into the car's underbody.

It has a handy range of up to 300 kilometres on a charge, which makes the Milano Taxi more viable as a transport solution than some current EV's (like Mitsubishi's i-MiEV) which currently offer only about half that range.

The German automaker's electric vehicle strategy is set to see them release their so-called "E-mobility" range of electric cars in 2013, which could include the likes of an electric Golf, Jetta, and the E-Up small car.

Volkswagen says the Milano Taxi concept gives us a glimpse into the future of Volkswagen cars, and that the genes of future VW's are already recognisable in the Milano Taxi, such as the new "face" of the car which lacks a radiator grille (as there is no radiator needed for an electric car).

The body of the left-hand-drive Milano Taxi is designed primarily for rearward entry by passengers, and there's an ingenious rear swivel-sliding seat on the right-hand side of the vehicle to make it easier for customers to jump in.

Notably, there's no front passenger seat - instead, Volkswagen has left this space for cargo, as the short body of the Milano Taxi leaves little space behind the rear seats. But if the boot is required, it can be accessed by a pair of laterally swinging 60/40 rear doors.

When there are passengers in the taxi, they can use the 8-inch touch-screen in the rear of the car to check and/or pay their fare, find out information about interesting sights along their route (available in various languages), and even check the weather forecast.

Passengers can also take control of their climate thanks to the touch-screen's integrated air-conditioning/heating management system.

The driver also gets a multi-function touch-screen which controls virtually all driving aspects of the car apart from acceleration, braking and steering.

Like the Volkswagen Samba Bus of the 1950s, there's a lot of glass in the roof panels of the car, including above the tops of the doors and the taxi's panoramic sunroof.

Volkswagen's range of electric vehicles will also be joined by several hybrid models, including variants of the Touareg, Jetta, Passat, and the manufacturer's volume-selling Golf.

[Bobman]

Considering the high price of LPG at the moment, if a vehicle as above were to be trialled as a cab here it would probably be favourable for owners and depots.

The sooner the dependence for oil stops, the better off we will be IMHO.

[Jastel]

Why??

You would need 2 of them to do a days work?
One on day shift, one for night shift while the other recharges
This means 2 lots of registration, 2 lots of insurance, twice ALL the costs
Not cost effective, therefore the pencil pushers will probably make it law next year...

And dont even start on the pollution from the coal fired power stations we use here to power these "planet saving" electric go karts.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Jastel

Why??

You would need 2 of them to do a days work?
One on day shift, one for night shift while the other recharges

Quick change battery centers, you don't own the battery packs and
they get swapped out more quickly than getting a full tank of ULP.

[Falcon_Crazy]

Wow..what a thread..and no one mentioned how adelaide cabs are mostly Dunnydores, Cairns and darwin both moving to Camrys (petrol) and Prius (In darwin a few weeks back..prius cab falling to bits...*** out of seats), fewer lpg up north for sure.

I remeber when i lived in lismore back in 1994/5, there was a diesel peugeot getting round.

Things change..I didnt buy a Falcon cause there were stacks of cabs around that are 'Coons....

Ive been in many, many cabs, Coons, Duunydoores, Magnas, 380s, Camrys, Avalons, Aurions and Prius - some good, some great, a heap awful..but their cabs...such us life

[Jastel]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Quick change battery centers, you don't own the battery packs and
they get swapped out more quickly than getting a full tank of ULP.

Wont be holding my breath waiting for these battery stations every 10km

Also taxis have lots of extra battery load for radios, computer, lights etc, so thats gotta decrease the range, not to mention that drivers want the air-con on 24/7, a Prius uses (lots of) petrol to recharge the battery drained by air con, on this sort of car I predict a range of about half what they say in the real world.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Jastel

Wont be holding my breath waiting for these battery stations every 10km

Also taxis have lots of extra battery load for radios, computer, lights etc, so thats gotta decrease the range, not to mention that drivers want the air-con on 24/7, a Prius uses (lots of) petrol to recharge the battery drained by air con, on this sort of car I predict a range of about half what they say in the real world.

The funny thing is that Prius taxi owners are reporting big gains over their
previous LPG Falcons but I'm not a big fan of the rush to plug in hybrids,
until battery technology and extreme fuel prices force the change, we're
better off staying with ultra efficient petrol or diesel vehicles with "conventional" hybrid.

Electric cars will probably arrive in specific areas first like inner city Taxi
fleets that can use electric vehicles and have access to recharging stations
I agree the infrastructure is not there yet.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

The funny thing is that Prius taxi owners are reporting big gains over their
previous LPG Falcons .

they may be cheaper to run, but they have a fair difference in purchase price so it will take a while before it is actually in front financially.

[pottery beige]

VW's are just overpriced Toyota's......

[Mr Hardware]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

VW's are just overpriced Toyota's......

☺☺☺☺☺

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Jastel

Wont be holding my breath waiting for these battery stations every 10km

Also taxis have lots of extra battery load for radios, computer, lights etc, so thats gotta decrease the range, not to mention that drivers want the air-con on 24/7, a Prius uses (lots of) petrol to recharge the battery drained by air con, on this sort of car I predict a range of about half what they say in the real world.

Well I can understand your dislike of batteries after all they have two terminals not just one totally negative one.

Do you remember when hand held mobile phones had only 20min talk time or 4hrs stand by?
Obviously mobile phone will never be popular....

Do you remember when laptops weighed 5kg and were 240v only then someone bought out a battery one that lasted 30 min?
Obviously laptops will never be popular....

Neither those phones nor the laptops had colour screens, wi-fi, graphical capability or any of the other features taken for granted today.

But don't worry, the phrase "Bah Humbug" is still available for your personal use at any time.......

[Bobman]

Nice post, flappist.

Having seen many documentaries about Cars of the future and researching alternative methods of powering vehicles, I believe that technology will be double of that tomorrow than what it is today and who knows what new fuel they will come up with. Just look at the advancement of technology in the past 50 years to what we take for granted today.

[Mr Hardware]

remember when they said we'd have flying cars and we've still got petrol guzzling 4-litres?
sometimes commenting about here and now is a bit more realistic about what might be.

[Chopped]

Combustion engines will be missed for their sound (although electronics will make up for this).

Do we even need cars ?

Star Trek Teleporter anyone !

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

remember when they said we'd have flying cars and we've still got petrol guzzling 4-litres?
sometimes commenting about here and now is a bit more realistic about what might be.

Plenty of "flying cars" around, Cessna, Piper & Raytheon make lots of them.

Unfortunately the average person does not have the natural ability to operate in three dimensions and it is impossible to "dumb down" the license skill requirements as has happened with two dimensional transport.

Electic vehicles WILL replace the majority of urban transport particularly in the major cities relegating LPG to the same fate as Power Kerosene and Coal (both of which were very common not that long ago).

[05MkIIFutura]

Research is showing the modern turbo diesel in cars are experiencing failure rates 2.5times the average of all engines, and are nearly 50% more expensive to fix than the overall average, so not to sure where the savings come in given the implied wear and tear that the research suggests. Link

There is a slight difference in tune between a VW/BMW etc Turbo D and a Diesel found in a old Patrol (or Falcon 6). I am probably wrong.

[Brazen]

I have always been curious about how modern diesels would hold up with taxi duties.

Back in 2006 I visited the Volvo factory in Sweden, and they have an area which fully outfits taxis - In the factory! lights, wiring, everything, upgraded suspension. The guy there was saying that Scandanavian taxis can do up to 200,000 km a year and that diesel is preferred due to cost. Nothing was mentioned about reliability. But I assume they have to be pretty good. In my time there I never got to to travel in a Volvo one, only a couple of Saabs, an Mercs, and Skodas.

Oh, and he said they would do taxi packs for Australia on request, I laughed back then thinking how unlikely would we have euro diesels as taxis here, how times change. The day I was there they were building a couple for Africa. They only build around 1900 taxi packs a year. Similar situation to here where many taxis are bought ex-fleet or auction.

Even the huge Mercedes factory in Sindelfingen has a section which makes E-Class taxis, extended wheelbase ambulances (these ambulances look fantastic, they have the patient sections made by outside companies) Really interesting to see how the Euro makers try to grab every domestic sale they can get. Here you cant even get a eGAS falcon with a LSD haha.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by prydey

they may be cheaper to run, but they have a fair difference in purchase price so it will take a while before it is actually in front financially.

The Prius taxi owners are pretty happy, The savings are can be up to $11,000 per year...

So it looks like most of the extra cost is recouped in the first 12-18 months,
then it cream all the way to the bank. Since some of the taxi fleets are
restricted to six years, battery life probably won't be an issue either.

All it means is that Ford should be talking to fleets about Diesel Mondeo and
possibly the hybrid version on the next Fusion/Mondeo platform due out in 2012.

[irish2]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Really interesting to see how the Euro makers try to grab every domestic sale they can get. Here you cant even get a eGAS falcon with a LSD haha.

Europe is a bigger sand pit so you can fit more toys.

[burnz]

we work an eight day, so plug your car in at work.
no need to use your own power.lol

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by burnz

we work an eight day, so plug your car in at work.
no need to use your own power.lol

Plug in electrics wont be from the wall. The government will need to meter it to put their excise on it.

[Jastel]

I am not against electric cars totally.
One day they will be all you can get.
That day is not here yet.
I dont want to buy an electric car for the same reason I didn't buy the first mobile "brick", or the first room size computer.
It was still a free country last time I checked.

I am against the Goverment telling me I must buy an X just because some eco hippy in a big city ivory tower with no real world taxi owning experience thinks it will save the planet.

It is MY MONEY that buys the taxi and if I can buy a second hand Falcon for about $15000 at auction compared to a $45000 Prius I should be allowed to.
It is my business and my right to buy what I want. (within the rules)

If you dont want to ride in it, you dont have to. Wait for a Prius or whatever else you want, that is your right. I have had people do this.

You can spend YOUR money on a Prius if you wish.

There is a reason the majority of taxis Australia wide are Falcons, they are the most economical (not most fuel effecient) dollars wise car for the job.

Or are the majority of taxi owners wrong and you guys are right?

The diesel thing works well in Europe because diesel is 10-20c a litre cheaper than petrol, much like the LPG thing here.

Bah humbug!!!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by flappist

Plenty of "flying cars" around, Cessna, Piper & Raytheon make lots of them.

Unfortunately the average person does not have the natural ability to operate in three dimensions and it is impossible to "dumb down" the license skill requirements as has happened with two dimensional transport.

Electic vehicles WILL replace the majority of urban transport particularly in the major cities relegating LPG to the same fate as Power Kerosene and Coal (both of which were very common not that long ago).

How much do those planes cost though? One of the guys at my work has a pilots license and he said it cost him $15,000 here in Victoria.

I'd imagine if the license cost so much, the plane would be worth much more, $100,000 for a used one?

Also, where do you keep one? Where can you legally land it?

[Brazen]

The Passat wagons look pretty good.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/64843/vo...iew-road-test/

Wagon
7 speed DSG auto
Parking sensors front and rear
Turbo petrol
dual zone climate
8 Airbags
German built

And all for the price of a Falcon XT sedan.... It will be funny to see these VWs as cabs.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

How much do those planes cost though? One of the guys at my work has a pilots license and he said it cost him $15,000 here in Victoria.

I'd imagine if the license cost so much, the plane would be worth much more, $100,000 for a used one?

Also, where do you keep one? Where can you legally land it?

How much does it cost to get 100 hours for your P plate if you have to rent a car and have a licensed driving instructor do all the training?
Imagine if you had to ACTUALLY understand how you car worked including the engine, suspension, transmission etc. How many would fail?

Imagine if you had to be able to work out how much fuel was in the car based on the last time you filled it up then 2 partial fuelings calculating distance travelled and time taken and then how far you could go carrying 4 people and 250kgs of rocks while ensuring you have 45 minutes reserve and if in fact the can was not overloaded.

Imagine if during your driving test your hand brake was pulled on while you were not looking, you engine was turned off failing your power steering and power brakes, you brakes were failed and your speedo covered and you had to drive past 5 speed cameras at within 10km/h but not over the speed limit?

In all these situations you have to react correctly and safely to avoid an accident.

Pilot training is MUCH more thorough than driver training.

How much is a second hand 1970 GTHO? You can get a second hand microlite for $5-10k.

You can legally land them anywhere it is safe including roads, beaches, paddocks etc.

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by Brazen

The Passat wagons look pretty good.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/64843/vo...iew-road-test/

Wagon
7 speed DSG auto
Parking sensors front and rear
Turbo petrol
dual zone climate
8 Airbags
German built

And all for the price of a Falcon XT sedan.... It will be funny to see these VWs as cabs.

I would imagine if buying new a fleet discount for a Falcon would be far greater then fleet discounting on a VW. Does a tdi Passat cost the same as petrol?