Tesla Model Y Taxi Fleet: Revel CEO calls out ‘entrenched interests’ for blocking all-electric taxis

Revel CEO Frank Reig called out “shortsighted bureaucracy and entrenched interests” for blocking the Tesla Model Y New York City taxi fleet that the company planned to launch. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (NYC TLC) blocked the company’s attempts to launch a fleet of 50 all-electric taxis in the form of Tesla Model Ys earlier this week.

On Tuesday, the NYC TLC successfully blocked Revel from launching a Model Y taxi fleet by an overwhelming five-to-one vote. The reason, explained by TLC Commissioner Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk, was congestion, as New York City already has many vehicles on its streets. “It is not sustainable to allow an unlimited number of new vehicles to the road in a city that is all too familiar with the choke of traffic congestion. What we will not allow is the opportunity for another corporation — venture capitalists or otherwise — to flood our streets with additional cars,” Jarmoszuk explained.

However, this explanation was contradicted by the NYC TLC, as the agency explained that Revel would still be able to operate its fleet of 50 Model Y crossover taxis, granted that the company bought 50 gas-powered vehicles first, then went through the process of swapping the licenses for electric cars. If the issue was really congestion, then why would Commissioner Jarmoszuk suggest that Revel buy more cars?

This question popped into the head of Reig, Revel’s CEO, who didn’t find the explanation to be incredibly logical. “Building a business is hard. Especially when shortsighted bureaucracy and entrenched interests stand in your way,” Reig said in a Tweet on Wednesday evening. It seems that Reig plans to launch a fleet of taxis anyway, as he added, “But you can’t stop the future, and you definitely can’t stop my team. We’ll be launching shortly, and I can’t wait to show New Yorkers the future of rideshare!”

Building a business is hard. Especially when shortsighted bureaucracy and entrenched interests stand in your way. But you can’t stop the future and you definitely can’t stop my team. We’ll be launching shortly and I can’t wait to show New Yorkers the future of rideshare!

— Frank Reig (@FrankReig) June 24, 2021

Teslarati reached out to the NYC TLC for a more in-depth explanation of why the commission chose to oppose the all-electric taxi fleet and also why it used congestion as an explanation but then required Revel to buy more vehicles. The agency has not responded to our inquiries.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk also responded to the NYC TLC’s decision to block Revel’s all-electric taxi fleet. Confused by the vote, Musk simply Tweeted “??” in response to our coverage of the story.

??

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 23, 2021

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