BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan -- The Department of Energy (DOE) will be donating at least 200 electric tricycles for Boracay in preparation for the phase-out of all gasoline-powered units on the island.
Jerry Esquivel, general manager of EV Wealth Inc., the e-trikes supplier for the DOE, said on Tuesday that Malay, particularly Boracay, was chosen as one of beneficiaries of the e-trike program.
At least 3,000 units of e-trikes are up for donation by the DOE and 200 of these will be for Boracay, Esquivel said during the regular session of the Sangguniang Bayan of Malay.
He said they are just waiting for a resolution coming from the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Malay to authorize the mayor or the vice mayor to accept the donation.
Esquivel said while the e-trike units will be given free, the DOE has set conditions for the LGU and e-trike operators to comply to such requirement as paying for the cost of the fleet management to ensure sustainability of the electric vehicles program.
Under the program, e-trike beneficiaries will have to pay PHP649 for a three-year fleet management, which includes maintenance and battery services, but the cost is not yet final and may also go down, Esquivel clarified.
Aside from being more environment-friendly, tricycle drivers could save as much as half of their expenses.
“If the drivers are spending PHP400 for gasoline daily, with the e-trikes, they will only spend PHP200 for electricity,” he said.
He said part of the project is the installation of charging stations in the respective houses of the drivers or operators.
Vice Mayor Abram Sualog said on Thursday that the donation is welcome but the local council will still deliberate on the proposed fleet management for the e-trikes, which will be shouldered by the drivers.
The LGU-Malay is eyeing to phase out all gas-powered tricycles on the island and replace it with e-trikes and other electric-powered vehicles.
The total phase-out of motor tricycles was supposed to be implemented by the end of September. However, it was postponed due to the existing road conditions on the island, said Sualog in an interview.
“Once our roads become suitable, eventually the phase-out will continue,” he said. Out of the more than 500 franchise tricycle franchise owners on the island, more than 200 have yet to shift.
Once the donation pushes through, Sualog said the units will be given to franchise owners who have not shifted to e-trikes yet.
Meanwhile, the Boracay Interagency Task for Rehabilitation is eyeing to put up 16 designated stops for passenger vehicles along the main road. (PNA)
