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Thursday, July 05, 2007
Electric jeeps start plying Makati City streets
MANILA -- With Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay at the driver's seat, representatives of environmental groups and of the local government formally rode on a public utility jeepney that runs on electricity on Wednesday.
Binay, along with Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaign director Von Hernandez and Solar Electric Company (Solarco) president Panch Puckett, launched two electronic jeepneys for a test-run that will last for three months.
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"We are starting this project in Makati and we hope that we can introduce the electric jeepneys in other cities nationwide. If we can achieve our goal of cleaner air in Makati, I believe we can also do it other parts of the country," said Binay in an interview after personally taking the wheels of one of the vehicles as he drove it from Ayala Avenue to Greenbelt 3 Park at the Ayala Center in Makati City.
The "e-jeepneys," a prototype vehicle powered by rechargeable batteries and organic waste, is an innovative project designed to steer clear of the use of fossil fuels and help mitigate climate change, even as it addresses urban problems such as air pollution and solid waste.
"The electric jeepneys demonstrate how cities can help mitigate the problem of climate change. Given the urgency of the need to address this global threat, it is encouraging to see pioneering cities take initiative in implementing measures that would avoid the use of climate change-inducing fuels," said Hernandez.
Puckett said his company wants to contribute to the country's efforts to control air pollution and make its cities more livable though the use of innovative vehicles, adding that the technology has been around for decades and has been in use in China, Nepal and Bangkok in Thailand.
Each of the vehicles costs P550,000 and is equipped with five horse-power engines running solely on electricity. With a capacity of 17 passengers, the "e-jeepney" can cover 120 kilometers each day at a maximum of 40 kilometers per hour after an eight-hour charge of its batteries.
Puckett said a daily electric charge of an e-jeep battery would cost around P150, way below than the daily gasoline expense from P800 to P1,000 incurred by passenger jeeps running on fossil fuels.
Binay said if the test run proves successful, they will promote the use of the vehicle to other cities.
"Makati is very keen on this project considering the volume of vehicles that we have in our CBD, around 777,000 during weekdays, and the organic waste generated by households and commercial establishments here," he said.
The test run was jointly conducted by the City Government and the Green Renewable Independent Power Producer (Gripp) Inc., a network of civil society groups, business sectors, local government units, and environmental groups Greenpeace, and Solarco.
First tested in Bacolod City, the bodies of the "e-jeepneys" are made of fiberglass instead of metal or aluminum, and can accommodate 13 people, including the driver.
Since it does not run on gasoline or diesel, the "e-jeepney" is dependent on rechargeable batteries. For it to go an 80- to 100-kilometer trip a day, it needs to be charged for eight hours in a power plant fed by organic waste from markets and households.
The power plant consists of a generator, a high-solid anaerobic digester, and gas engine.
Organic refuse will be emptied into the digester where it will be dissolved and converted into gas, which in turn will be pumped into the engine of the "e-jeepney" that will then produce the electricity. (AH/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (July 5, 2007 issue)
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