Japanese e-vehicle maker eyes production of e-trikes in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Japanese electric vehicle (EV) maker Terra Motors Corp. plans to sell and produce at least 500 units of its T4 e-trike per month here starting next year.

Terra Motors chief executive officer Toru Tokushige said in an interview the firm would start production of the T4 e-trike at its plant in Laguna by April next year.

“At the beginning, we will start mass production at 500 units a month,” he said.

The production of the T4 is part of the $20 million planned investment here announced by the company earlier.

Tokushige said the production and marketing of the T4 e-trikes would involve hiring a total of 30 employees.

The company is already in talks with potential customers such as the Ayala Group for its planned township, the local government of Mindoro, as well as a tour and accommodations company in Cebu.

The firm is likewise in talks with interested buyers from Indonesia for the possible export of the T4 units assembled here.

Tokushige said that while the parts and components of the T4 would initially be sourced from overseas, the company intends to use some local parts in the future.

The T4 e-trike was developed and designed to provide minimum turning radius for narrow roads in the country.

The e-trike which could accommodate a driver and three passengers, is available in two variants with one running on lead acid and the other on lithium ion battery.

When fully charged, the T4 could travel at a distance of approximately 80 kilometers.

Tokushige said Terra Motors would provide after-sales and maintenance service for the T4.

Terra Motors is among the parties which submitted bids for the Asian Development Bank and Department of Energy’s e-trike project and is the first to have produced the working e-trike unit according to the project design.

The project involves the roll-out of 100,000 e-trikes to local government units on a rent-to-own scheme until 2016.

Should Terra Motors be awarded the contract to supply and deliver some of the first 3,000 units under the project, Terra Motors director of business development Shimpei Kato said the units would also be assembled in the Laguna factory.

As the firm prepares for its manufacturing operations here, it also plans to seek incentives from the government.

“We are currently preparing our application for incentives with the BOI (Board of Investments),” Kato said.