The Philippines is a developing nation and also my birthplace. I moved to San Diego in 1991 when Mt. Pinotubo erupted and my family was evacuated from Subic Navy Base. I have since been back to the Philippines three times and every time I go back it amazes me how much changes. With graduation nearing and leaving for my trip back just days after, I can’t help my excitement. My trip to the Philippines is always on my mind these days and I wanted to blog about it, but I couldn't just randomly blog about the Philippines and no EVs. So I started reading and stumbled upon this article about e-Jeepneys in Makati.
Makati is one the 16 cities that make up Metro-Manila and is also one the most populous metropolitan areas in world. With all this urbanization and population Makati is not the most environmentally friendly city. An organization called the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC) has developed a three-part plan for waste management, energy generation and sustainable transportation in hopes of making Makati greener. For the sustainable transportation aspect of the plan, iCSC partnered with Philippine Utility Vehicle Inc. (PhUV) to develop the e-Jeepney, which is an electric version of the Jeepney.
Jeepneys are the most common form of transportation for most Filipinos. Jeepneys were originally made from left over American Jeeps from WWII. Today Jeepneys are outrageously decorated and are known for their crowded seating arrangements. They have become a symbol of the Filipino culture.
The e-Jeepney was introduced in Makati in 2007. Currently, the e-Jeepneys service the Makati Green Routes free of charge. Though still flamboyantly decorated, e-Jeepneys look more like those elongated golf cart trams that service amusement parks. They are able to seat 17 and last 120km (74 miles) on an eight hour charge. Their charging stations are powered by a biodigester plant, which turns the methane from biodegradable household waste into electricity (energy generation part of iCSC plan). The e-Jeepneys have been widely embraced because of the reduction in noise and emissions. Foreign investors through out Asia are also impressed with this new form to power transportation. There have been talks in several other Asian countries about bringing this type of public transportations to their neck of the woods.
So since my family lives 30 minutes from Makati, I guess the next thing to do would be to take a ride on one of these while I'm in town!
I really like this post, I think its funny that the e-Jeepneys are so packed, but when you think about it thats much better! The more people the better. It's also great that they can last on an eight hour charge, that would last me all day! I also love that they are decorated in crazy colors, it really adds to the whole experience.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article man! So what always interests me is how foreign countries take charge to move ahead with green development. For me, and i'm sure most Americans, we are used to America being on the forefront of innovation (most of the time we are.) What surprises me is when foreign countries make these commonsense innovations that we take for granted in the U.S. Something like updating public transit to electric, should be a simple update turns into a political battle. Hopefully the U.S. can get its priorities strait instead of bickering over where to spend money!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they've introduced an e-Jeepney in the Philippines. I remember when I was young, my parents rented a Jeepney so we could transport a lot of my family members for a whole day around Manila. At the time I thought it was cool, I just couldn’t stand the smell of the fumes. Then when I went to the Philippines in 2006, I could not imagine riding a Jeepney. All I kept thinking was its dirty, stinky, crowded and so forth. The e-Jeepneys don’t look the same as the Jeepneys but it’s a step into the future. I’m amazed how everyone in Manila knows which Jeepney to get on so they can get to their destination.
ReplyDeleteDid you know there’s a Jeepney in LA? They brought over a Jeepney to serve as transportation to tour around the Historic Filipinotown. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to the Historic Filipinotown yet but I plan to.