NYC gets electric taxis

Just in time for Earth Day, New York City is introducing six electric taxi cabs to the road. Each driver will have access to a home electric charger and new "quick charging" stations across the city.  The New York City government says that these quick chargers will be open to members of the public with electric cars as well.

The plan is an important first step in seeing if more taxi cabs can go electric. “It’s to figure out how a taxi driver can integrate 60 to 90 minutes of charging into a day,” David S. Yassky, the city’s taxi commissioner, told the New York Times. “Frankly, just as important, it’s to show other taxi drivers that it can be done.”

More from GlobalPost:  Nissan developing all-electric delivery van

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hopes that at least  one third of the city's taxis will be electric by 2020.

All of the electric cars are Leaf models by Nissan. 

The National Resources Defense Council says that electric vehicles are 70 percent cleaner than conventional vehicles and has praised New York City's leadership for its taxi pilot project. New York also has one of largest fleets of government electric vehicles in the nation, the NRDC says.