IF the proposal of a Japanese company is implemented, urban centers and even remote towns in the country will have fleets of tricycles that do not emit carbon while the owners or operators get the opportunity to earn more by spending less on fossil fuel.
Terra Motors of Japan is planning to set up assembly facilities in the Philippines initially for e-motorcycles.
A ranking government official said executives of the Japanese firm have indicated plans to set up shop here for the manufacture of e-tricycles in anticipation of the shift to electric-fed motorcycles.
The official said Terra Motors plans to export its products.
Initial computations show the e-tricycles would be competitively-priced with conventional motorcycles based on engine size, such as P50,000 for a 50-cc unit.
The official said Terra Motors sees huge potential for the project due to the huge demand in the Philippine market alone. Last year, the industry sold about 800,000 motorcycles.
This is going to be Terra Motors’ first operations in the Philippines. The company would eventually bring e-cars into the country.
Tokyo-based Terra Motors was established in April 2010 for the manufacture of electric bikes and mobility scooters. The Department of Energy has an ongoing E-Trike project with an approved cost of P21.5 billion that will be partially funded by the Asian Development Bank. The project will provide 100,000 electricity-run tricycles to replace aging and two-stroke gasoline-fed units. The E-Trike project targets local government units of Metro Manila, Boracay in Aklan, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija and Davao City.
The use of e-vehicles would help the country reduce its dependence on price-volatile petroleum fuels. It will also reduce the carbon footprint of the transport sector in Metro Manila and local government units in the country.
3 Wheeled Cheese 