Hagedorn urges use of electric tricycles

Because two-stroke engine motorcycles are a major contributor to global warming, environmentalist and Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn has urged the use of electric-powered tricycles not only in his city but also all over the country.

Hagedorn, who was invited to a two-day marine conservation conference hosted by the School of the Sea and Earth Advocates in Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, last May 2 and 3, said that there is a need to address the issues on global warming immediately, considering that its effects are slowly being felt around the world.

As a start, Puerto Princesa City is already adopting the use of electric tricycles, which do not emit any noise or carbon monoxide at all, he said.

Hagedorn said there were only about 2,000 tricycles in 2001, before he stepped down, but when he came back to office a year later, the number had doubled. Hence, he developed the “50/50 color scheme” wherein only half of the units are allowed to run per day. The city has only two colors of tricycles: black and white.

Before the electric tricycle came, the city adopted the retrofitting design of motorcycle engines. This is designed to reduce emissions from the two-stroke engine motorcycle units. Apart from its cost-saving effect, electric tricycles also emit 60 percent less smoke compared to the two-stroke engines.

The city also embraced the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for its tricycles, because, Hagedorn said, they want to find out which can provide better savings to the drivers and less pollution to the environment. 

Compared to the gasoline-run unit, the LPG-powered tricycles can save up to P60 per day.

The city is currently testing two “trikebayan” units which costs only P 40-50 for recharging of the battery per day to operate (without lubricants), compared to gasoline-powered tricycle operation which costs about P200 a day.    — Liv G. Campo/BRP