E-vehicle makers urge LGUs to replicate Bacoor scheme

MANILA, Philippines - The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) is urging other local government units (LGUs) to follow the path of Bacoor LGU which recently approved an ordinance providing incentives for the use of electric tricycles in the city.

Under the ordinance, Bacoor would waive franchise fees to operators if their tricycles are either electric or driven by any alternative fuel source.

Registration will also be made easier and faster to make it more convenient for operators to shift to electric tricycles, EVAP said.

EVAP president Rommel Juan said the group hopes more LGUs would follow the pioneering program of Bacoor.

“LGUs nationwide can replicate this operating system in Bacoor to make their communities greener and at the same time modernize their tricycle transport infrastructure as well,” Juan said.

Bacoor-based electric tricycle manufacturer Kea Industrial  has already launched a fleet of electric tricycles complete with offsite public charging stations in the city, making it the very first LGU in the country to do so.

Kea vice president Edmund Araga said there are now 10 electric tricycles running in Bacoor and there will be more to come in the coming months. “Today, there are three strategically-located public charging stations, erasing the fear of drivers of running out of charge in the middle of a trip or what is more popularly known as range anxiety. Another innovation that we introduced is a Text An ETrike Program where you can just text to us your location and destination and our nearest available ETrike will serve you,”Araga said.