Johnny Lugay
By MARVYN N. BENANING
Manila, Philippines – The end of gasoline-fed tricycles is near.
Ang Kasangga Rep. Teodorico Haresco made this bold prediction yesterday as he claimed that the revolutionary three-wheeled, solar-powered tricycles now being used in Quezon City and Bacolod City and San Carlos City in Negros Occidental are not only cost-efficient but also protective of the environment.
Haresco is listed as co-inventor of the electric tricycles that use solar panels to collect heat and support generate electricity to make the engines run.
Developed by Brian Stanley Jackson of the Makati City-based Technostrat Corp., the tricycle can comfortably seat six persons and looks similar to the famous “tuk-tuk“ of Thailand and the “habal-habal“ in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Haresco said the e-tricycle is the proper response to climate change since it is virtually free of carbon emission and does not contribute to noise pollution.
The lawmaker stressed solar panels on the roof are used to charge the batteries to increase the operating range of the tri cycle.
E-tricycle battery can run up to eight hours on 10 percent solar power and 90 percent electricity.
“The operating cost of the standard gasoline-fueled tricyles is about P200 a day,” Haresco explained, “but E-trike needs only P48 a day to operate.”
This immediately means tricycle drivers can save more since their standard “boundary” daily is P150.
Haresco and Jackson claim the income of an e-tricycle driver could reach P12,500 monthly, a little less than thrice the current take-home pay of P4,700 per month.
