THE first unit of electric vehicle of Jiangsu Fengchuen New Energy Power Technology Co. arrived in Bacolod City Monday, May 15.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the Chinese firm sent its first model for a testing to see if its viable, visible, and if it is acceptable for the operators as a better alternative for the jeepney modernization program of the government.
He said initially, there were some comments on the electronic jeepney (e-jeep) such as the location of the door which is at the back, and should be placed at the side portion of the vehicle for the safety of the passengers.
"This is one of the observations, and hopefully, we will have a perfect sample or a refinement of their vehicle then we can come up with something that will be used by the city of Bacolod," he added.
The mayor noted that two more samples of electronic vehicles are expected to arrive in Bacolod soon.
Benitez said the e-jeep can accommodate at least 22 passengers and there should be a charging station as well as the swapping of batteries to continue its operation.
For every e-jeep, there will be two batteries allocated then, if they need to replace the battery, they will bring it to the charging station, he said.
He added each unit will cost at least P2 million and the manufacturing of the units will also depend on the trial run here in Bacolod.
The mayor stressed that the Chinese firm is targeting the public transportation market so it has to work here.
"So, we need to present that it's viable to our jeepney operators. Once we determine that it's viable then, we will encourage importation for the meantime or they are looking for at least 300 units importation once everything is finalized. After that, they will start building the electric vehicle plant in Bacolod," Benitez said.
He said they are still waiting for the chairman of the Chinese firm to arrive and they will finalize the route of the e-jeep next week.*