THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology, together with the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), is developing the country’s first electric vehicle (EV) for mass transportation.
Leading the development of the EV is engineer Romeo Marave, who owns the rights to a prototype EV. He is being assisted by the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research Development (PCIERD), the MIT School of Mechanical Engineering and several PEZA-accredited private firms, including an organization of motor car battery companies and a group that makes motoring parts.
In an interview, DOST-PCIERD Deputy Director Raul Sabularse said the EV project entered by the three agencies will focus more on improving the engine earlier developed by Marave.
The first EV prototype was already tested by the MIT group. It has a payload of 1, 000 kilograms for a 70-kilometer run. Marave’s EV traveled the distance with an eight-hour charge at a cost of just P2.07 pesos per kilometer, or P144.90 for the entire 70-km trip.
The project is also aimed at lowering the use of gasoline-powered vehicles in cities, villages and subdivisions.
“We’re still working on the lower weight-to-power ratio of Marave’s vehicle. It also needs technical improvements before it can be commercially viable. We’re also looking into minimizing recharging time and building the car with much lighter materials,” according to Sabularse, who also heads the DOST-PCIERD’s alternative fuels project.
Sabularse noted that while other car manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota have already tested their own electric-hybrid vehicles, the Philippine EV will not compete with these and will instead have a niche market of users in the Philippines.
“We won’t be seeing any electric-powered jeepneys soon but some city-driving cars will be powered by electricity. Eventually, we’ll be working with power-charging stations for these types of vehicles,” Sabularse said.
21 Feedbacks on "DOST eyes 1st RP-made electric vehicle"
Gerardo Bascug
Perhaps the developer of the EV should consider a detachable battery configuration so that charging stations could quicky change empty batteries with loaded once and recharge them while waiting for the next customer.
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Windell Rebong
Go go go Pinoy!
Kaya natin yan.
Am i proud of you!
God bless.
mlwnag
Electric cars will be more green in areas where there is geothermal, wind, hydro-electric or solar power. Tricycles in rural areas should be replaced with this type of vehicle. Waiting sheds with solar cell roofs as charging stations.
lemuel maghuyop
What type of batteries were used on this EV? Deep cycle lead acid batteries is at par with the Ni-cd in terms of its capability to discharge high current but at a fraction of the cost, although you have to sacrifice some additional weight. Also to minimize frequent trips to the recharging station, the team could add a regenerative braking system to recharge the battery while on the go (most hybrid vehicles have this). We’re willing to extend our support to this project in any way possible.
Andrei
Magandang umpisa para sa ating bansa, ang magkaroon ng teknolohiya gaya ng ganito. Sana magtuloy-tuloy at masuportahan ng gobyerno. Para sa karagdagang pag-asenso ng Pilipinas.
Edison
We have a lot of breakthroughs but the problem was they were never followed up or they were abandoned for financial reasons. This is like killing the baby just after he was born. I know of the helicopter prototype invented during the term of Ramos but has not made any progress…if the congress and the senate will follow up the scientific breakthroughs of their countrymen, we can not only make a car but also mass produce it.
I hope this baby will not be cut off but grow and mature.
Emmznuel
While In China I have notice that there are several motorcycles or bicycles running on electric motor. For a starter why not introduce some of these electric motorcycles in the Philippines perhaps it might trigger some of our brilliant inventors to further improve them. I have noticed that some pedicabs are improvised with gas engines. With our inventive mind who knows what they will do with these electric morcycles.
Poormanphysics
Hmm…are we sure were not making another Golf Kart? Just a thought. Electric vehicles have been there close to a decade specially high polluting areas of the world like the state of California but somehow never got to be accepted en mass? The only really commercially viable electric vehicles are electric forklifts (I used to maintain one as a side job) because they can be used in food and clean industries. One key issue of electric cars is how to dispose those batteries? You create a non oil eating car alright but at the same time you created a problem with environment as well. I still go for hybrid cars those with biofuels.
MD
Nothing is new now in electric-powered vehicles. There are many versions and technologies in the industry of electric-powered vehicles. Either solar powered or fuel-cell powered, etc. It is more beneficial to mass produce a cheaper version of electric-powered vehicles with common and easily available technologies around and from overseas. Philippines is lagging in this kind of industry and technology. DOST and PEZA are just marketing the first one in the Philippines. It could be a waste of money and resources in developing similar which is existing in some parts of the world. And hope it is not a golf kart as earlier commented earlier.
Manuel C. Diaz
EV should be mandated for Boracay instead of those noisy polluting tricycles.
virgilio
some projects like this were politically killed by lawmakers supported by business industry lobbyists becuase the are threats to their profitability, i hope the newly elected and seemingly independent miinded lawmakers now will support these projects.
barakong _jose
as long as nandyan ang monopolyo ng langis sa ating bansa walang mararating ang ganyang inventions pwera nalang madiscover ng ibang bansa at bilihin, bayaran at kuhain ang mga great inventors natin para sa ibang bansa magamit. not just one or two na ang mga successful inventions but hindi nasusuportahan ng gov.
mine
sa mga bagong halal ng bansa lalo na sa gobyernong arroyo, please suportahan nyo naman ang mga imbentor na filipino, maawa naman kayo sa Pilipinas! huling-huli na tayo sa lahat ng bagay dahil sa kakakurakot nyo sa kaban ng bayan natin…
MECHANICAL
what i know is there is a TIP Civil Engineering graduate, Engr. Gerry Caroro who first developed an electric car. Nevertheless, that’s a great work of PINOYS… PILIPINAS BANGON….
kit
Tingnan din natin ang maintenance sa battery nyan, baka one or two years lang palit na agad. Kaya sa US di gaano nag-click ang electric car dahil sa mahal ng presyo ng batery palit ka ng palit.
Keep it up but need more research and study.
Renato
kabayan, right now i’m in K.S.A. sa araw araw trabaho, napansin ko na dumarami ang mga sasakyan galing sa ibang bansa, pero nalungkot ako ni isa wala akong makitang Philippine made na Sasakyan, kundi lang yung lumang kinkalawang na Sarao sa gilid ng Travel Agency dito sa Saudi, aba yung pagong noon na tinawag nilang “sick man asia” eh ang lakas ngayon ano! kase ito ay dahil sa kayabangan at kasakiman ng ating mga nanunungkulan sa Gobyerno, bakit ko nasabing kayabangan abay akalain mong sabihing Filipino daw sila! abay lakas ng loob ng mga ito, ni hindi nila alam kung ano ang ibig pakahulugan ng isang Filipino dahil kung ikaw ay Filipino talaga, abay mahal mo ang iyong bansa at ng mga tao na nasa kinatawan nito, at para naman sa mga Inventor natin Huwag kayong susuko! ipagsigaw nyo sa lahat ng dako ng mundo kung ang klaseng meron galing ang Filipino! FROUND TO BE A PINOY!!!!!
Engr.Donovan H. Tura
this is not a comment, it is an appreciation to us people who created by God, which has an incredible mind to build or develop such thing in this world….keep up the good work because me,,i have an innovations of these so called EV.maybe soon, these will be realized.
Civil Engineer
Sana marealized ng mga taong nasa pwesto kung gano kaimportante ang mga inovation at invention ng mga kapatid nating pinoy para maiahon yong quality of life ng mga pilipino at ng buong mondo. Sana gumawa kayo ng batas para palakasin at suportahan ang ating mga inventor. Tingnan nyo yong ibang bansa gaya ng korea di hamak na mahirapsila kaysa satin noon,eh ngayon mas nakakaangat na sila sa atin.
Bogoy
wag nga kayong pasaway! ginagawan na nga ng paraan panay kayo NEGATIVE jan. ugali talaga ng mga selosong tao yang di pa na umpisahan puro na pintas at negatibo sinasabi. Supportahan nyo nalang at tayo-tayo rin naman makinabang at wag pasaway!
E-volt
Nakatutuwang malaman na marami ang interasado sa pag-asenso ng ating bansa.. Ako nga rin po ay kasalukuyang nagsasagawa ng pag-aaral tungkol sa Electric vehicles at plano ko rin pong mag-assemble ng isa, E-Motorcycle naman po ang target kong gawin kya lang po kailangan ko po ng mga sponsors lalong lalo na po sa Batterya, napakamahal po kasi ng mga ito at wla pa po akong kakayahan para bumili nito…
Maraming salamat po at mabuhay po tayong mga pilipino!
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