Saw this in the news a couple of days ago, that Electric Jeepneys sponsored by Green Peace have already been approved by the local Transportation authority to start plying the nation’s route’s.
The E Jeepney’s in the Philippine’s will carry a tag price of P350,000 - 400,000. It will have a range of 200 km and will have an 8 hour charging cycle. At current prices, it will cost about P100 - 150 to charge the E Jeepney. Green Peace will also sponsor local charging stations for the e jeepneys that will also be powered through renewable energy means (Methane gas trapped from waste)
Concerns raised by local jeepney drivers is that since this is new technology they could have a hard time fixing it once it’s broken.
My main worries for the E Jeepney is the speed by which it can travel. The earlier reported top speed of only 40 km/hour is just way too slow for today’s main roads. It could end up wasting more gas for the unlucky gasoline powered cars travelling behind it.
Batteries also wear down easily, and an old battery doesn’t carry a long charge. So this could eat into the profit of the jeepney driver. Not to mention that jeepney’s today usually run 24 hours, an 8 hour charging cycle is just too long. Bad enough also that the Philippines has a reputation for having one of the highest electricity costs in the country.
Developers of the e jeepney should think about sticking a hybrid motor into their vehicle. Of course it add 100% more to the cost but it could well be worth it.
My apologies that the news report is in Filipino.
Category: Automotive, Electric Car
