Groups protest ADB funding for e-tricycles
GMA News
January 31, 2012

 Civil society and green groups groups are blocking the way for electric tricycles, saying the $101-million loan funds for the technology were diverted from the more urgent solar generation project.

This was the latest blow to efforts to make the Philippines greener and less dependent on fossil fuels, said environmental groups, who have protested the government’s move to reduce the allocation capacity for renewable energy.

Flawed financing scheme

Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Freedom From Debt Coalition (FFDC) on Friday hit the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) for diverting the loan without consultation with stakeholders. They also demanded that the Trust Fund Committee of the Washington DC-based Clean Technology Fund to “reject the ADB’s proposal”.

“Subsidies for E-trikes are not needed, especially not for a project like this with a flawed design. Financing for renewable energy and feed-in-tariffs are. The ADB has no business diverting money away from country priorities,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Francis de la Cruz in a statement.

“There have been zero consultations on the fund diversion with the renewable energy industry in the country. This is outrageous,” de la Cruz said.

E-trikes: The bigger picture

The ADB has started to pilot the e-trike project as early as 2010 to solve the nation’s growing transportation demands in a way that is both cost-conscious and environmentally responsible. The project, which was first tried out in Metro Manila, will roll out this year.

According to the ADB, electric vehicles are highly efficient, using up to 75 percent of their energy to power the vehicle versus only 20 percent used in most internal combustion engines. The e-trike produces no noise and zero tailpipe emissions and can be charged at night during off-peak electricity hours.

But green groups were not impressed by the plan. They criticized the eTrikes project of the ADB for the absence of disposal, after-sales services and replacement programs in the project design. The ADB intends to utilize new electric vehicle technologies, particularly lithium ion batteries, in its eTrikes. Greenpeace and FDC said lithium-ion batteries were recalled in the US recently for safety and maintenance issues.

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