E-vehicle shift for city in limbo

CEBU, Philippines — The transition to electric vehicles (EV) to replace the government fleet is still uncertain despite having an approved budget since the Cebu City Government still has to renegotiate with the supplier after the latter manifested its intent to back out from the partnership.

Councilor James Anthony Cuenco, Chairman of the Committee on Transportation, said the supplier was allegedly “disenchanted” with the “Red Tape” that they had to go through to get an approval.

“Dugay kaayo ang approvals so ni backout sila. But we are trying our best now to plead with them to reconsider and this time around we will do it the proper way and we will guarantee that it will run smoothly. Mao gani ng napasagdan sa last administration,” said Cuenco who still wished that the program will continue.

This is also in line with the passage of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA LAW) which mandates that 5% of government vehicles should already be EVs.

“Because this is really the direction that we want move at. As a matter of fact, we have already a plan for the green loop that will traverse the city and other adjacent cities para ma institutionalized ni,” said Cuenco.

According to Cuenco, they already have an initial meeting with the supplier citing that it was supposed to be a “good deal” considering that the city will only provide 1/3 of the cost.

At the same time, the 2/3 will be shouldered by the supplier, a private foundation, and the Visayan Electric Company (VECO) who will put up the charging stations.

The city has already earmarked P150 million under the 2024 budget to purchase 100 units.

The alternative, on the other hand, according to Cuenco, is that the city will shoulder the overall cost of the EV which may go up from P300 to P400 million.

The 100 EV units are supposed to replace the “old” units of the City Hall which are described to be good as scrap. Cuenco however said that those that were still in working condition could be sold.

With the EV, Cuenco said the city can save more since it only requires minimal maintenance costs. He also said the charging stations can be set up in two months.

When asked about the direction of the said project, Cuenco said its primary objective is for Cebu City to catch up.

“Kay daghan ng nag una nato. Mandaue, naa na, ang Taguig, they are almost fully electric. Daghan ng cities actually nag transition. It’s about time that we have to catch up,” said Cuenco. — (FREEMAN)