The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has turned over nine electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and a fleet management mobile application to the municipal government of Luna, Apayao, under a project supporting local public transport.
The fleet consists of a 30-passenger e-jeepney, two electric tricycles, and six tricycles converted to electric power.
The deployment forms part of the Smart Mobility for Viable, Efficient, and Cleaner Modes of Transportation (MOVE) Apayao Project.
“This is sustainable energy on the road, right here in the municipality of Luna,” DOST-Cordillera Administrative Region director Nancy A. Bantog said during the opening of the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week in the town.
According to DOST, initial testing showed that the e-jeepney, powered by a 60-kilowatt motor, could travel up to 300 kilometers and navigate steep roads in Marag Valley.
The agency reported that an electricity charge costing P580 allowed the e-jeepney to complete 22 trips on the Pudtol-Luna route. It compared this with P1,000 in gasoline expenses for two trips using conventional transport, although the supplied figures did not specify comparable operating conditions or passenger loads.
The two purpose-built electric tricycles each accommodate six passengers and a driver and have lightweight composite bodies and five-kilowatt induction motors.
DOST also reported that the converted electric tricycles generated P400 in daily net income on a single charge, compared with P200 for a gasoline-powered tricycle using three liters of fuel.
Supporting the fleet are fast-charging facilities with real-time monitoring and the Move Apayao mobile app, which provides navigation, fleet management, and route optimization functions.
The project is intended to support Apayao’s transport and development priorities alongside conservation efforts in the province, a Unesco Biosphere Reserve.
“We hope that this will not just be one of the projects in Apayao, but one that will also set an example for the other provinces and the regions,” said Julius L. Leaño Jr., executive director of the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development.
The initiative is being implemented under the Smart and Sustainable Communities Program with DOST-Cordillera, Apayao State College, Cagayan State University, the Apayao provincial government, and the Luna municipal government.
