http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/01/17/electric-motorcycle-built-to-cut-pollution/ Electric motorcycle built to cut pollution By Alena Mae S. Flores | Jan. 17, 2015
[images http://manilastandardtoday.com/panel/_files/image/2015_jan18_business2.jpg A model of Agila electric motorcycle http://manilastandardtoday.com/panel/_files/image/2015_jan18_business3.jpg Business partners Jose Montaño and Noel Lim ] “Necessity is the mother of invention,” they say. Business partners Jose Montaño and Noel Lim agree, as they see the need to address air pollution in the Philippines by building a vehicle that emits near zero carbon dioxide. Montaño and Lim are the founders of Phil Etro EV Inc., a company that manufactures and distributes electric motorcycles and other light vehicles. They founded the company in 2010, aware that air pollution has become a real danger to millions of families and children, including their own. With the air quality in Metro Manila reaching near toxic levels, millions of people are suffering from its consequences, especially in terms of health. Montano and Lim believe that the two-stroke tricycle is a contributing factor to the country’s worsening air pollution. At present, of the 2.8 million tricycles in the country, more than a million continue to be propelled by old, two-stroke gasoline or diesel-fed engines. Each tricycle also emits an estimated 4.5 metric tons of CO2 per year. Two-stroke engines emit more smoke and carbon monoxide than four-stroke engines found in modern motorcycles. Attempts have been made previously by the government to mitigate the problem. The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 declared two-stroke tricycles as illegal. Enforcing the ban, however, proved to be another thing, as millions of tricycle drivers would be affected and may lose their livelihood. Unlike other environmental issues such as the destruction of coral reefs, which to most people is largely abstract, air pollution is a daily irritant to everyone especially in Metro Manila. Montaño and Lim, in an effort to find a plausible solution, set out to develop an electric motorcycle unit that can be used as a tricycle. Their vision was to create an electric tricycle that can perform under the harsh rigors of Philippine roads and respond to the heavy demands that tricycles have to fulfill. After three years of research and development and rigorous road testing, Phil Etro EV Inc.’s answer to the tricycle problem in the country became a reality. The breakthrough product, called the “Agila”, is the first electric motorcycle designed and assembled in the Philippines. Agila is particularly suited for tricycle application because of its reliable performance and practicality. The Agila can carry a load of 350 kilograms, or about five to seven passengers, and can maneuver its way over steep inclined roads. It used standard motorcycle parts that are readily available at various motorcycle shops. It can also be readily attached to any sidecar. Today, Phil ETRO EV is both ready and rearing to lead the way towards a thriving electric vehicle ecosystem in the Philippines, and pave the way to a safer and cleaner Philippines. From the prototype units that have been developed, Phil Etro EV began mass production of the Agila motorcycles. “We firmly believe that the Philippines will emerge as the leader in EV manufacturing in Southeast Asia,” Montaño says. Two clients of the company are currently deploying 50 units in various local government units, showcasing the advantages of using an electric vehicle. Montaño and Lim expect to produce up to 200 units of Agila, configured for tricycle use by the first quarter of 2015. The current Agila motorcycle features certain smart features that enable the unit to be wirelessly connected to a central server, which will make the unit centrally manageable both from the service and operations standpoint. For the whole of 2015, Phil Etro EV expects to produce 2,000 Agila motorcycles in 2015, a first big step towards improving the air quality in Philippine streets. [© 2013 Manila Standard Today] ... https://www.facebook.com/etroev ETRO EV INC. "Agila" ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinoy ... http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/phil-etro-plans-to-produce-2000-e-trikes-in-2015/ Phil Etro plans to produce 2,000 e-trikes in 2015 by Catherine Pillas - January 4, 2015 ... [dated] [video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewmfAnXzBz0 The ETRO Agila electric motorcycle goes to work in Pasig City 01 nlimnj Mar 30, 2013 ] ... http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/173-power-and-energy/76866-doe-bids-electric-tricycles DOE to solicit bids for E-trikes supply and distribution Dec 03, 2014 ... [image http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/F6711356A4F34127BFAC4C600B71E507/talino-ev-8-20141006_0cd7f8f6e0224ff1a811c0ea541cd6a2_F6711356A4F34127BFAC4C600B71E507.jpg A DIFFERENT KIND OF EAGLE. Etro offers its Agila electric motorcycle to replace the smoke-belching, 2-stroke gas-powered motorcycle. File photo from the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines ] ... 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