NYC TLC Set to Remove EV Exemption from 'Plate Cap'...Revel's Plan May Have Caused Concern

The NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) is set to vote on removing the electric vehicle exemption from the FHV License Pause (aka TLC Plate Cap) on June 22nd

As we reported in late April, the public tension between Revel co-founder Frank Reig and TLC Chair Heredia Jarmoszuk around the company’s plans to launch an all-Tesla NYC ridehailing service was noteworthy. In fact, we concluded that article as follows.

As you can tell, pretty contentious on both sides. Definitely something to track! One thought that’s crossed my mind is the TLC may very soon limit the EV and WAV exemption in a way that prevents fleets from adding several cars. - AutoMarketplace, April 28, 2021

Well, on June 22nd the TLC is set to remove the electric vehicle (EV) exemption that was instituted in 2019, a year after the original August 2018 ‘FHV License Pause’ (often referred to as the ‘TLC Plate Cap’). Although only about 400 TLC-plated EVs currently exist, representing less than 1% of the entire fleet, Revel’s plans (and likely others) to create EV fleets (i.e., hundreds of cars at once) likely pre-empted the TLC to act sooner rather than later. Given (1) the controvers…