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• October 2004: New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission holds an auction for taxicab medallions that may be used only on vehicles burning natural gas or on electric-gas hybrids. Eighteen such medallions are sold, at significantly below-market prices.

• April 2005: With TLC yet to approve any natural-gas or hybrid vehicles for use as cabs, medallion owners sue.

• June 16, 2005: Bill introduced at City Council's transportation commission that would require the TLC to approve a natural-gas or hybrid vehicle within 30 days. Bloomberg signs the bill, giving the TLC 90 days to comply, the next week.

• July 26, 2005: TLC preliminarily approves six hybrid models, including the Lexus RX400h, which means these environmentally conscious vehicles can be on the road by fall.

• July 31, 2005: Unrelatedly, the Times's Sunday Automobiles section reviews the Lexus RX400h hybrid vehicle, and calculates the fuel efficiency of the hybrid at 23.0 mpg, vs. 21.6 mpg for the same car in a gas-only model.

The Greenpeace folks must be thrilled.

2006 Lexus RX 400h: The Hybrid Emperor's New Clothes [NYT]
Earlier: Frankly, We Were Never Much for American Cars