Friday, August 01, 2008 LTO okays registration of E-jeepneys
THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) has given the green light for the official registration of Electric-jeepneys (E-jeepneys) becoming the first vehicles in the country to be issued organ license plate for its operation.
The Green Renewable Independent Power Producer (Gripp), proponent of the E-jeepney, and the environmental group Greenpeace welcomed the move saying it is a landmark in greener Philippine transport.
"The orange plates are issued specifically for electric vehicles, and its issuance by the LTO was largely spurred by the E-jeepney and the Climate Friendly Cities Project - meant to reduce dependence on fossil fuels by cities - of which it is part," said Greenpeace executive director Von Hernandez.
On the other hand, Gripp chairperson Athena Ballesteros said "the registration of the E-jeepneys is much-awaited and paved the way for the full implementation of the Climate Friendly Cities Project, particularly when we start scaling up E-jeepney fleets around the country."
"The full-implementation of the project will hopefully steer the Philippines -starting with pioneering cities - away from harmful fossil fuels, and toward climate-friendly, sustainable, renewable energy-based transport," Ballesteros added.
The E-jeepneys were launched on July 4, 2007 in Makati City as part of a larger initiative that demonstrates how cities can help mitigate the problem of climate change through implementing measures that would avoid the use of climate change-inducing fossil fuels.
Through the project, a fleet of electric-powered jeepneys will derive energy from biodegradable wastes from the city's wet markets, food establishments and households, thereby helping mitigate climate change even as it addresses urban problems such as air pollution and solid waste.
The E-jeepneys will now be registered under the new classification "low speed vehicles" (LSV) as set forth in the IRR (implementing rules and regulations) of AO AHS-2008-14 "Guidelines in the registration of LSVs."
The orange plates are issued to private vehicles.
Yellow plates and orange stickers will then be issued to for-hire E-jeepneys.
Four E-jeepneys will be among the first to be issued the plates: three units plying Makati, and one in UP Diliman.
They will also be inspected by LTO's Motor Vehicle Inspection Station Team.
These jeepeneys, however, are exempted from the agency's standard smoke emission testing procedures.
The first two new E-jeepneys were manufactured by the Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (MVPMAP) augmenting the first two units that were made in Guangzhou, China.
The two were imported from China by the Solar Electric Corporation, Inc. (Solarco) and Gripp for P371.280 each.
Ballesteros said the launch of the registration classification will enable better access to E-jeepneys, promoting its acceptability to transport groups adding that with current spiraling fossil fuel prices, the E-jeepneys stand to increase income levels of jeepney drivers by at least P400 a day, without the respiratory health hazards associated with conventional, frequently smoke belching jeepeneys.
That is aside from anticipated environmental benefits, such as less air pollution and climate change mitigation.
Compared to a brand new 14-seater stainless jeepney that costs at least P750,000, an E-jeepney costs only P550,000, she pointed out.
Ballesteros said a brand new E-jeepney is only slightly expensive than the run-down, inefficient, second-hand diesel engines operators prefer to purchase, whose price ranges from P350,000-P380,000.
Ernesto Camarillo, a traffic engineering consultant of Makati, said the vehicles have a five horsepower engine that can be charged in any electrical outlet.
On an eight hours charge, the vehicle can run for at least 100 kilometers daily at 40 kilometers per hour.
Camarillo said charging the vehicle costs only P50, much less than buying a liter of gasoline which is being used by public utility vehicles today. (AH/Sunnex)
