Coming soon: E-trikes on the streets of Mandaluyong

Coming soon: E-trikes on the streets of Mandaluyong
By Kristine Felisse Mangunay
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:56:00 12/04/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Not like your ordinary tricycle, the e-tricycle—which will soon make its debut in Mandaluyong City—runs on virtually 100 percent clean energy.

Twenty-two eight-seater e-tricycles will soon ply selected routes of the Tiger City, courtesy of a $110,000 grant from the Asian Development Bank.

While its environment-friendly features have been made clear to the public, very little is still known about other aspects of this innovative technology. How much is the maintenance cost? How long does a battery last? What happens when the streets are flooded?

A joint report released by the World Bank and the Department of Natural Resources in 2007 estimates that air pollution accounts for more than 12 percent of all deaths in the Metro.

Sohail Hasnie, principal energy specialist of the energy and water division of the ADB’s Southeast Asia department, believes that the use of these vehicles will greatly reduce the pollution level since e-trikes do not have tail pipes that emit carbon dioxide.

Their use will also improve energy security, as it will reduce the country’s consumption of imported oil. At present, the Philippines is a net energy importer, and is expected to import 60 to 70 percent of its energy needs by 2030.

These vehicles run on lithium-ion batteries that are used in cell phones. Although they are more expensive than the ordinary lead-acid battery utilized in motor vehicles, they can be recharged more than 2,000 times.

The normal lead-acid battery can only be recharged about 200 times, and since a battery has to be changed yearly, a 10-year life span for the ordinary tricycle will require 60 batteries for replacement.

The full charge of an e-trike is pegged at an estimated 5 kWh, which is equivalent to running an old 200-watt TV for 24 hours. Hasnie estimated charging costs at P40, which will allow one unit to travel between 80 and 100 kilometers. Traditional tricycles, for their part, require an estimated 5 liters priced at around P220 to travel the same distance (at the current price of P44 for 1 liter of unleaded gasoline). Where savings are concerned, the e-trikes fare very well compared to the ordinary tricycle, Hasnie added.

Many doubt their speed and efficiency, but it is a fact that electric cars can run as fast as motorized vehicles. The fastest electric cars are sports cars, which can reach a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. The speed of an e-trike, after all, depends on the design or the motor incorporated in the vehicle, said the ADB official. Those that will be plying the streets of Mandaluyong will run an estimated 60 kilometers per hour.

The e-trike’s body is made of fiberglass. Replacement of the parts is easy as these will be made locally, Hasnie added.

The city has taken on the responsibility of registering the vehicles and will make the necessary modifications to address any safety issue.

To navigate flood-prone areas, for example, the Mandaluyong city government plans to customize the e-trikes so the batteries will be installed on the roof.

This is possible since the lithium-ion batteries used in these vehicles are 80 percent lighter than lead-acid batteries, and have no toxic liquids inside, like acid.

While only two of the 22 allotted e-trikes for the city have been delivered, the city government has already begun testing their viability. Rany de Leon, chief of the city’s Tricycle Regulatory Office, said the two demo units are now in use to check their efficiency, durability and practicality.

Once the remaining units arrive, these will be assigned to specific barangays—10 for Barangay Plainview, and another 10 for Barangay Pioneer, chosen for geographical and practical reasons (the two barangays are easy to monitor, according to city officials).

De Leon says selected e-trike drivers will be required to come up with a daily boundary of P100. Passengers will also be charged P7, the usual jeepney fare.

Hasnie hopes the use of e-trikes will help create new jobs and industries. “We are still in the process of bringing this new technology to the others, and develop these units locally. So far, we have been successful but we will need about three more months before we complete studying our pilot 20 units in Mandaluyong,” he said.

Until then, short-distance commuters will have to make do with motorized tricycles—or the notorious kuliglig (motorized pedicabs)—if ever these vehicles find their way back to the streets of Manila.

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