If you want to know if a vehicle can truly stand up to real world abuse, there is no better laboratory than being a NYC cab. That’s the theory with Lithium-ion driven PT Cruisers.

The first test vehicle, which uses a Ballard Power Systems 312V 67 MS electric drive vehicle, has arrived in New York and is in use. It is the first of 14 that will be used over 2007 as part of a test to see if the technology is viable in the heavy usage, heavy traffic situation that New York cabs face.