Electric-powered jeepneys launched in W. Visayas

Some 50 electric-powered jeepneys (e-jeeps) will start plying the streets in Western Visayas this month, and, at the same time, serve as mobile billboards in promoting cleaner energy. The News Today (www.thenewstoday.info) reported Tuesday that Robert Puckett, president of the Solar Electric Company Inc. (Solarco), said this comes at a time of growing concern over the impact of global warming resulting from worsening pollution. Solarco, the sole distributor and marketer of the E-jeeps, will pilot the units this month with the presentation of two units in Makati City on July 4 and the others in Bacolod City. The company is part of the Green Renewable Independent Power Producer Inc. (GRIPP), a network of environmental groups including Greenpeace, business firms and local government units. Costing P550,000 each, the e-jeeps are equipped with 5-horsepower engines running solely on electricity. An eight-hour charge of batteries is enough to cover 120 kilometers each day at a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour. Puckett said the E-jeeps are roomy and have wider space. He said the units are designed to carry 10 to 12 passengers at the back and three passengers, including the driver, in front. The first E-jeeps will come out in red, blue and yellow with fancy designs that reflect the Filipino culture. Puckett said a daily electric charge of an E-jeep's batteries would cost around P150, way below than the daily gasoline expense from P800 to P1,000 of passenger jeepneys. He said drivers and commuters will also be spared fluctuating oil prices in the world market which are sensitive to political and social developments. Solarco expects to sell around 80 units this year and 200 by this year. Aside from Western Visayas, Puckett said they are also prioritizing cities that are known to be pro-environment like Puerto Princesa in Palawan and Baguio. Last week, Solarco signed a memorandum of agreement with the Iloilo-based micro-finance institution Taytay Sa Kauswagan Inc. to provide solar-power units to rural areas beyond the power grid of the National Power Corp. This program will provide solar energy systems to households costing a minimum of P21,000, which can power three electric bulbs or its equivalent consumption. Mylene Capongcol, Director of the Department of Energy and head of its Rural Power Project, said the aim to energize 90 percent of households by 2017 cannot be done without the help of the private sector. Puckett said the country has rich sources of renewable energy like solar, hydro, bio gas and wind. He said while ventures to tap and developed these sources are costly, many business firms including from other countries are interested in investing in these areas. - GMANews.TV