MANILA, Philippines – During the e-tricycle donation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Mandaluyong City last week, Department of Energy (DoE) Secretary Jose Almendras expressed support in promoting the use of electric vehicles, especially those using Lithium-ion Phosphate batteries.

Almendras said that electronic vehicles have a better energy efficiency ratio than hybrid vehicles.

He added that it is more efficient to make use of coal or other source of energy to convert it to electrical energy to charge the batteries of electric vehicles.

He said that all the components of the Lithium-ion batteries are 100 percent recyclable.

“Some car manufacturers are not going to make hybrid cars anymore and they are shifting to electric vehicles. Also, we are the only country that has a tricycle industry this big which eases the mode of transportation,” he pointed out.

Almendras said that even if the batteries and motors can be imported from abroad, other parts of the electric tricycle or e-trike can be manufactured locally which can provide jobs to Filipinos.