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DOST eyes 1st RP-made electric vehicle
04/30/07


THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology, together with the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), is developing the country’s first electric vehicle (EV) for mass transportation.

Leading the development of the EV is engineer Romeo Marave, who owns the rights to a prototype EV. He is being assisted by the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research Development (PCIERD), the MIT School of Mechanical Engineering and several PEZA-accredited private firms, including an organization of motor car battery companies and a group that makes motoring parts.

In an interview, DOST-PCIERD Deputy Director Raul Sabularse said the EV project entered by the three agencies will focus more on improving the engine earlier developed by Marave.
The first EV prototype was already tested by the MIT group. It has a payload of 1, 000 kilograms for a 70-kilometer run. Marave’s EV traveled the distance with an eight-hour charge at a cost of just P2.07 pesos per kilometer, or P144.90 for the entire 70-km trip.
The project is also aimed at lowering the use of gasoline-powered vehicles in cities, villages and subdivisions.

“We’re still working on the lower weight-to-power ratio of Marave’s vehicle. It also needs technical improvements before it can be commercially viable. We’re also looking into minimizing recharging time and building the car with much lighter materials,” according to Sabularse, who also heads the DOST-PCIERD’s alternative fuels project.

Sabularse noted that while other car manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota have already tested their own electric-hybrid vehicles, the Philippine EV will not compete with these and will instead have a niche market of users in the Philippines.

“We won’t be seeing any electric-powered jeepneys soon but some city-driving cars will be powered by electricity. Eventually, we’ll be working with power-charging stations for these types of vehicles,” Sabularse said.