by Peter Pachal on Mashable
We’ve already met New York City’s so-called taxi of the future, the Nissan NV200. However, there’s a dark horse contender for the position: VPG’s MV-1. The issue at hand: wheelchair accessibility.
The city was sued over the scarcity of taxis for the disabled, and last December a judge ruled that the Commission failed to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in picking Nissan. The Commission now has to come up with a plan to address the needs of wheelchair users.
VPG wants the MV-1 to be the solution. The SUV-like vehicle prioritizes wheelchair access but still has enough room for four people and the driver in addition to a wheelchair passenger. A ramp extends from the side either manually or via motorized lift (see video below), letting wheelchair users ride in from the curb.
The first MV-1 hit the road in October. The City is currently testing a couple of dozen of them to see how they work in the fleet, company reps say. The MV-1 exceeds the requirements of the ADA, is still comfortable for everyday people, and offers a relatively green compressed natural gas fuel system as an option, so VPG has high hopes it could actually usurp Nissan as New York’s future taxi of choice.
That’s probably a long shot, but it does have the home-field advantage: VPG is based in Florida, and the cars are made in the U.S.A.
The multipurpose vehicle comes in two versions: The standard one with manual ramp that is the basis of the NYC cab ($39,950), and a luxury version with leather seats and the motorized ramp that’s targeted at individuals ($41,950).
Do you think the MV-1 should be New York’s taxi of the future? What about other cities? Sound off in the comments.
VPG says its VM-1 multipurpose vehicle exceeds requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and hopes it finds a place in New York City's next-generation taxi fleet.
The ramp only extends from the right side in the current version, but the company has a design in the works that will allow the ramp to extend from either side.
The interior of the MV-1 can accommodate up to six people: a driver, a wheelchair passenger, and four other people.
The luxury MV-1 comes with a motorized ramp standard as well as leather seats.
Post Source: Mashable
By: Muhammad Usman Arshad
