Reinventing the Jeepney

The jeepney is the symbol of Philippine transport. Approximately there are around 275,000 jeepneys all over the country and its number is increasing every year. In Metro Manila alone you will see jeepneys from any turn you go.

Lately there had been efforts in the Philippines to mitigate climate change and reduce the carbon content in the country. One possible way to tone down air toxins is to lessen the number of the public transport. This suggestion had stirred issues regarding accommodation of the huge number of the commuting mass. So a proposal from a civic organization is to have e-jeepneys.

E-jeepneys means electronic jeepney thus electricity will run the vehicle. If this project would push through we can definitely save the environment and at the same time lower the fare cost and do away with unending problem on gas price increase. The e-jeepneys can be charged eight hours using an ordinary wall electrical outlet. A fully charge e-jeepney can travel up to 55 kilometers at maximum speed of 35 kilometers per hour. It is not going to be easy to implement this nationwide but at least there are already efforts of doing so.

I have seen prototypes of these e-jeepneys in a parade at Makati. And I was able to also experienced driving a prototype of this electronic vehicle. Check my attached photos.

I wish for the success of this project and I am hoping for a green and fresh Metro Manila for the next generations.

[Rhoody]

not that I think that is a bad idea, but it will never work for many reasons.

The idea in general failed in the rest of the world about 20 years ago and I doubt that it will work here.

We have a e-Multicap (smaller than a jeepney) here in Dumaguete and I know one of the drivers very well. As I had a kind of the same discussion on another board I talked to him about his prototype. The following is about a summary what he thinks about it.

The Multicap only earns money if it is running. A popular route is Dumaguete - Dauin and back (15 km one way) what basically means his vehicle can make 1.5 trips before need to be charged for 8 hours.

On gasoline he makes about 8 to 10 round-trips daily, so do 20 other multicaps per day. So if we do the math now, th whole thing looks different...

To transport the same amount of passengers we are talking about 200 roundtrips. divided by 2 (as an e-multicap is only able to make 1.5 roundtrips in 8 hours and so lets say 2 in 12 hours) you need 100 e-mulitcaps for the same task.

than you need to produce the electric power to charge them. knowing the mainly not really environment friendly way here in the PI, I doubt that this will safe anything...
... in the addition we have even more crowded cities, as this 80 more multicaps have to park somewhere while being charged.

and that is only one route out of 7 in a small town like Dumaguete...

Having read your post I would agree to that and good that you have a testimonial from a driver. Perhaps this can be useful in some other service like... hmmm let me think... a ride for really lazy people in the park hehehe.

[Rhoody]

I just want to copy/paste a post from another board as additional information.

the thread there was about Electro Scooter for trikes. there is actually a company in Manila selling them. The data are from their website. This is a reply to a guy telling how fantastic they are.. The guy has about 120 kg so exceeds the max load anyway... hehe. additional must be said that the Dumaguete trikes are about the biggest in the Philippines...

....you also don't want to tell me that a 1000 Watt electro-trike will carry 4-8 people plus shopping and school-bags. This are the specification of a e-bike sold in the philippines for trikes (without the "passenger cabin)

BATTERY TYPE: PLUMBUM ACID
RATED VOLTAGE: 60V (5 X 12V)
BATTERY CAPACITY: 60V (5 X 12V) 20AH
BRAKES-FRONT: DRUM OR DISC
BRAKES-REAR: DRUM
CHARGING TIME: 4-6 HOURS
CHARGING VOLTAGE: 110/220 V
CLIMBING CAPACITY: 30 DEGREES
DRIVING DISTANCE: 60 KM
LOADING CAPACITY: 250KG
SPEED: 50KM/HR

so we take a driver 65 kg,
a metal-wood cabin 80- 90 kg
what will leave about 100 kg loading capacity.

As we know each other, we know that this vehicle is already at the limit if each of us sit alone in there (actually overloaded with me) so my girlfriend needs another trike.

Everybody here knows what happens to chinese electro-motors when overloaded...at least those who have a blender at home. Not talking how fast the battery would be flat...

Maybe I see it too black, I just try to bring the theoretical efficiency to Dumaguete and practical life here...

The picture below is one side of the battery-packs in that e-multicab

Hi Roody,

The electric jeepney is being promoted now in Makati. I saw the poster in Ayala underpass. Though I haven't seen it yet in Makati, however I was able to see one in Cubao Shopping Center. I'll try to take a picture of the actual vehicle in Cubao next time.

Cheers

Hello Everybody,

Months ago local government in Makati was planning to launch the e-jeepneys.
They successfully did it. Attached here is a picture of the e-jeep at Makati Avenue.

[OceanBreezeInn]

There are even electric tricycles at Fort Bonifacio area ..

Fully electric vehicles here in the Philippines are really unpractical. Maybe hybrid type jeepneys for the smaller towns with lower capacity Jeepneys will work fine but not in Cebu or Manilla IMO.

If they got a hold of GM's hybrid 1/2ton truck setup then that would be a reality (it has electric motors inside the transmission that propel the shaft and have very high torque loads and assist a normal engine to reduce load and fuel consumption and is recharged using the main engine and cetrifugal force.) however, you are again talking about extremely expensive setups. Even these electric car setups will not be cheap and I would be very interested to find out what the cost of eight hours of electrical draw would be on a standard KWH rate, versus the 3 liters of diesel or on the multicab jeepneys, petrol, used to travel the 55-80kilometers you may get on one of these things. I doubt very seriously it will be cheaper than gas and in fact more expensive and with that everyone is paying a premium, ultimately the driver, to save the environment. And lets face it... people here really could care less as you see trach being dumped just anywhere and jeeps that pour out more black smoke than a stack of tires soaked in crude oil on fire.

My solution would be simple. Electric transit system. Trolly or tram setup with stops every 2 blocks. That or do like Chattanooga, TN (yes a small town in the middle of redneckville but still bigger than CEbu) and build busses with a magnetic recharge system. Each bus stops at their designated spot which is over a magnetic charge pad. These pads give the bus enough juice to top off their fully charged batteries. Usually a bus can run for 14 hours straight and only use 50% of it's total battery power when it's garaged and charged overnight. The tram or trolly system would be tied directly into the power lines and put on tracks.

Sure its not cheap to do but it's not any cheaper to replace the whole jeepney population with electric inefficient jeeps either.

Just figured I'd share my 2 centamos.

J