Amid the continued clamor for lower fuel prices in Bohol particularly from the public transport sector, one Boholano decided to build his own electric tricycle.
Roy Bayonas, an electronics graduate of the Bohol School of Arts and Trades (now Bohol Island State University), said that his prototype is set for completion within the year.
Bayonas works on the mechanical parts of the tricycle at his home during his spare time from tending to his printing business while the three-wheel vehicle’s body is being developed out of his uncle’s small garage in Tagbilaran City.
Bayonas believes that his e-tricycle will help address the longstanding problems arising from expensive fuel prices.
He will try to operate his e-trike using 5 kilowatts of electricity. And like regular tricycles, it can carry four passengers at a time, he said.
The e-tricycle can be used for an entire day after it is charged overnight, he added.
According to Bayonas, production of the e-trike started in 2016 but it progressed slowly as he was using his own money to fund the project.
There were multiple times that the project stalled but it is now nearing completion and Bayonas is optimistic that his own e-trike design would replace fuel-run tricycles in the province.
Bayonas will either seek support from the government or a private investor for his e-tricycle’s mass production.
The e-trike will have a low electricity consumption but will travel at a relatively same speed as a normal tricycle, he said.
There are already multiple e-trike manufacturers supplying tricycle units to a few localities in the country including Manila, but Bayonas is confident that he will be able to build a more a cost-efficient model.
The lower cost will draw investors, he said noting that he used local materials to build his prototype unlike existing e-tricycles that are mostly made of imported parts.
However, Bayonas has not yet revealed the cost for his prototype’s production as its construction and design remained ongoing.
Usage of electronic vehicles has gained popularity throughout the country for cost-efficiency in their operation and for being environmentally friendly.
These vehicles however have not made significant progress so far in replacing their fuel-powered counterparts due to their higher costs. (AD)