Some observations from Planet Gore readers:

I rode in my first Hybrid vehicle on a HOT day, yesterday, and learned something about those suckers that will really stink (figuratively and likely literally) for New Yorkers — when the battery kicks in, the compressor on the air conditioner kicks out. No cool air coming out of the vents when the gasoline ain’t pumping. Just the fan going. And having lived in NYC for five years, summers can be such a joy in an unairconditioned cab. Imagine, rush hour traffic at a standstill, which means the hybrid’ll kick into battery power constantly. Temperatures in the upper eighties, humidity at 90 percent — and cool air coming into the cab only a few minutes at a time. Won’t that be a joy on those hot, humid summer city days!

Another wonders about the unintended consequences of the new hybrid-taxi mandate:

Isn’t the Ford Crown Vic-dominated taxi fleet elephant burial ground for police cars? So won’t this “hybrid only” policy kill the market for old police cars — creating more trash in the short term?
What a waste of time.