City launches all-electric taxi cabs

Yellow cabs just got a whole lot greener.

Six all-electric Nissan LEAF taxi cabs hit the streets Monday, with each car saving drivers $17,500 a year in gas costs, according to TLC Commissioner David Yassky.

The new cars were introduced as part of a pilot program as a way to gauge the possibility of an all electric fleet. More will be on the way in October.

The cabs "will help us determine the best way to seamlessly integrate electric vehicles into the taxi industry's 24/7 business and operational models," Yassky said in a statement.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants a third of the yellow cabs in the city to be electric by 2020 and said the yearlong study is the first step to a cleaner fleet.

"Even though the Taxi of Tomorrow won't be on the road for another six months, we're already looking ahead to the taxi of the day after tomorrow," he said in a statement.