Japanese firm gets DOE-ADB e-trike deal

Uzushio Electric Co. of Japan clinched the contract to produce, deliver and service the first batch of electric tricycles (e-trikes) under the joint project of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to lessen the country’s dependence on import-based, pollution-causing fuel such as gasoline and diesel.

DOE Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos said in a phone interview that the agreement on the purchase of 3,000 e-trikes under the much-awaited DOE-ADB Electric Vehicle program was signed last Monday night.

The units are set to be delivered within the year by Bemac Electric Transportation Philippines, Inc., a subsidiary of Uzushio that operates in the Philippines. Bemac said earlier in a statement that the contract is worth $30 million.

The ADB-funded project, under the Market Transformation through the Introduction of Energy-Efficient Electric Vehicles Project, targets local government units nationwide. The total amount of e-trikes to be bidded out under the DOE-ADB e-trike program is 100,000.

READ: Battery-powered tricycles set to hit city streets

Originally, a bulk e-trike contract was set to have been awarded in 2013, however, the government decided to re-bid the project due to several issues, among them the need to expand the scope of beneficiaries since many local governments have poor credit histories. Last August 6, Uzushio emerged as the lone qualified bidder among five companies that submitted proposals during the rebidding.

READ: Japanese firm only qualified bidder for 1st e-trike tender

With the contract for the first 3,000 units out of 100,000 now awarded, the DOE is expected to conduct other auctions to promote low-noise, zero-emission e-trikes nationwide as a replacement for noisy, smoke-belching traditional tricycles. RAM