The Hybrid Hype
Even for vehicles that are marketed or labeled by manufacturers as hybrid vehicles, not all of them fit the legal description to be considered exempt from number coding
Daily TribuneEven for vehicles that are marketed or labeled by manufacturers as hybrid vehicles, not all of them fit the legal description to be considered exempt from number coding
Car decals with the word "hybrid" have been selling like hotcakes lately, thanks to the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act that provides for coding exemptions for hybrids and electric vehicles. Of course, simply affixing a sticker would not convince the MMDA enforcer that a certain vehicle is actually a hybrid.
Even for vehicles that are marketed or labeled by manufacturers as hybrid vehicles, not all of them fit the legal description to be considered exempt from number coding.
Mild hybrids — vehicles wherein the electric engine is unable to function independently from the combustion engine — are not covered by the coding exemption. The law only exempts those vehicles that have electric engines that can power the car while the combustion engine is switched off.
Vehicles that have electric engines that can function while the combustion engine is not running are classified into two categories: Full hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
A full hybrid is a vehicle whose combustion engine charges the battery that powers the electric engine. Once there is enough power in the electric engine, it can function on its own to power the car while the combustion engine shuts off.
A plug-in hybrid is a vehicle that can be plugged in to charge the electric engine, which then operates independently of the combustion engine.
Why is the government suddenly encouraging the public to switch to electric vehicles by providing these perks?
Commitment
One reason is that the Philippines, as a signatory to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, has a commitment to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 75 percent between 2020 and 2030.
This is part of the country's Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, whereby each State Party has predetermined goals to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, in order to slow down or stop global warming.
The impact of vehicles that run on internal combustion engines was made visible during the months of the Covid-19 lockdowns, when the metro had clear blue skies instead of the usual smog.
However, it would not be feasible for the government to simply expect the driving public to suddenly switch to hybrid and electric vehicles.
Our country's infrastructure is too reliant on private transportation that clogs the roads with traffic jams and pollutes the air with smoke and ash. The public would not be as dependent on private transport if there were a reliable means of mass transport that can feasibly meet the needs of our ever-expanding population.
Electric train
An electric train would be a more energy efficient mode of transport than a vehicle that uses fossil fuels in an internal combustion engine. For electric trains, the specific energy consumption typically ranges from 20 to 75 watt-hours per ton-km.
Therefore, the energy consumption for a train carrying 200 people, with an average weight of 70 kg per person, with a total weight of 14 tons, would be between 280 and 1050 watt-hours per kilometer.
For combustion fuel powered buses, the energy consumption can be calculated based on the fuel efficiency of the bus and the energy content of the fuel.
A typical fuel efficiency for a bus might be around 6.6 kilometers per liter, and the energy content of diesel is approximately 37,950 watt-hours per liter. Therefore, the energy consumption for a bus carrying 20 people would be about 2016 watt-hours per kilometer.
It is evident that an electric train would be more energy efficient than a bus running on diesel.
Instead of expecting the public to purchase more electric or hybrid vehicles, the Philippines would be better off improving the mass transport system.
Not only would this decongest the roads, this would also go a long way toward meeting the Paris Agreement commitments. There would be no need for vehicle owners to buy decals with the word "hybrid," as they would be enjoying the benefits of taking the train.