Japan firm to invest P4.4-B for e-trikes

MANILA, Philippines - A Japanese electric vehicle startup company is planning to produce 150,000 electronic tricycles in the Philippines within the next five years.

BEET Philippine Inc. has committed to invest P4.4 billion and produce an initial batch of 5,000 e-trikes, which are expected to be commercially available by April 2014.

The company, which is also planning to hire 1,000 employees, recently registered its first e-trike with the Land Transportation Office.

The BEET e-trike has five main components: the lithium ion battery, AC motor, inverter, vehicle control unit, and battery management system, which keep the e-trike stable through various road and weather conditions.

Tokushi Nakashima, BEET president and chief executive officer, said these components will be provided by the leading companies from Japan "with great considerations for safety."

"The latest technology allows lithium ion batteries to run stable under high temperature and humidity climates, while the BMS has safety functions to control irregular battery conditions. Air-cooled AC motors, which are more powerful, allow drivers to drive up a steep incline easily,” Nakashima explained in a statement.

"Various problems related to batteries, motor controllers, or the motor can be solved using BEET’s advanced technology," he added.

Nakashima, who has 15 years of electric vehicle development experience in Japan, established BEET last March to popularize the use of commercial electric vehicles in the Philippines.

He said they are gathering data from tricycle drivers for the product development designed to meet local needs.

"BEET continually makes efforts to increase driver’s income and reduce fuel expenses to improve the driver’s livelihood and the environment as well,” Nakashima said.

"Our mission is to lead innovation through our e-trikes in the Philippines while incorporating the various latest technologies. The Philippines will become the first country where we hope BEET can make a positive contribution to the environment and to economic development," he added. - Louis Bacani