MANILA, Philippines - PhUV Inc., the pioneer of electric vehicle manufacturing in the Philippines, is teaming up with the Electric Vehicle Expansion Enterprises Inc. (EVEEI) to pilot a program that would help promote the use of electric jeepneys in the country.
EVEEI chief executive officer Bodie Pulido said under the initiative called Adopt an EJeepney Program, a company can have a corporate social responsibility program by helping modernize the Philippine public transport system and reduce air pollution.
“By adopting an EJeepney for a fixed rate for a year or more, the company can fund a new fleet of EJeepneys to replace the old, dilapidated gas guzzling traditional jeepneys that are currently plying Manila roads. In exchange, he gets on-board advertising, both internal and external,” Pulido said.
Pulido said PhUV and EVEEI have already identified specific routes where the EJeepneys can be deployed to replace old jeepneys.
“These are perfect routes as the areas are densely populated, thus ad exposure is maximized”, he said.
PhUV chief executive officer Rommel Juan said eJeepneys are energy efficient and zero emission vehicles running solely on electricity.
“Virtually all the jeepneys you see on the streets today are from 10 to 20 years old. There are more than 70,000 of them in Metro Manila alone, releasing some 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year,” Juan said.
“It is tragic to note that although jeepneys comprise only two percent of vehicle population in Metro Manila, it is responsible for 70 percent of air pollution. Studies have shown that 5,000 premature deaths are due to air pollution related diseases and that the Philippine government spends $325 million in healthcare expenses yearly in treating pollution related diseases,” Pullido added.
Despite the fact that using EJeepneys work, pays a living wage to jeepney drivers, and improves city traffic through disciplined drivers, Juan said eJeepneys remain a novelty item at present and has yet to reach sufficient numbers in order to make a dent on the country’s worsening air pollution index.
“The use and spread of EJeepneys have yet to break the glass ceiling”, Juan said.
PhUV and EVEEI are hoping that the Adopt an EJeepney Program will take electric vehicle usage in the country one step further.