UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Finally, I took the plunge. I’ve been waiting for a while for more pure electric vehicles (EVs) to come into the Philippine market and felt it was time to make a decision.

We all have a responsibility to make a difference in combating climate change. Each of us has choices to make that either contribute to worsening our environmental crisis or mitigate and reduce our impact. The smallest deeds have a collective impact, as exemplified by the purchase of shampoo in plastic sachets by millions of Filipinos. Consequently, the Philippines is now the biggest plastic-waste contributor in the world. Ironically, the plastic sachet that has escalated the crisis was invented by a Filipino who wanted to give the poor a choice to buy products in small amounts.

For those of us who have the means to create a positive impact through our individual actions, it is time to move. For my family, it was by first building our home 20 years back. We opted for lots of sliding doors and windows for a cool atmosphere with flow-through ventilation, in lieu of air-conditioners. We also installed a solar-powered hot water system to cut down on electricity costs.

Six years ago, when the prices for solar panels became more reasonable, we had a small system installed on our rooftop that saved us a third of our electricity bill. Solar panel prices further dropped recently, enabling us to expand our solar panel installation to cover the entire rooftop. This produced a further drop in our electric bill to less than a third of the original monthly amounts. Another effect was that it reduced the heat effect of the galvanized roof due to it being shielded by the solar panels. 

Since battery storage of solar energy is still not practical due to the high cost of batteries, we opted to have a net-metering arrangement with Meralco, where excess electricity produced during the day is channeled to the grid. Thus, we get credit that offsets part of our night time electricity usage.

We may be just one of the few who have made these moves, but if more of us who can afford it go solar, the collective impact will be greater than the sum of individual actions.
Back to EVs. Prices have gone down, as the government gives tax breaks and incentives to importers of electric vehicles. There are more models, both basic and higher-end versions, available. With these developments, we felt it was time to purchase one, hopefully not the last. 

For a while now, I’ve been discussing it with my son, Richard, a car enthusiast, who early on was totally opposed to EVs. His arguments centered on the visceral experience of feeling and hearing the rumble of the internal combustion engine (ICE), which he said cannot be replaced by EVs. I countered that EVs are actually more powerful than ICEs. Indeed, the model I ordered boasts of 509 horsepower and could get to 100 kilometers/hour speed in 4.9 seconds, pretty competitive with Ferraris and Lamborghinis. And it could do these in absolute quiet with no vibrations and get up to a maximum speed of 180 kph. 

Another argument was the limited range of EVs. This produces range anxiety, especially since EV charging stations are still limited in the country. Well, this model has a range of 635 kilometers, enough for a round trip to Baguio, with plenty to spare. 

Rather than opt for a smaller vehicle, I felt it was more practical to get an SUV that we can use for long drives, since these trips consume much more fuel. With that, Richard was converted to EVs. 

With the purchase of an EV, we are going full circle in decreasing our carbon footprint. The EV can be recharged during the day, when the sun is shining to energize our solar panel system while at the same time charging our EV with solar energy. No more wasting time lining up at gas stations and paying for ever-increasing gasoline, no more dirty engine exhausts that pollute the air and add more carbon to the atmosphere. We will also do away with the routine maintenance of ICEs, such as oil and filter changes, replacing batteries that only last two years, and those pesky fan belts that break down at the most inconvenient times, like on a deserted stretch of highway.

With these arguments, I hope I will have convinced many to go electric, for it is the wave of the future, no doubt. There is a plethora of models to choose from, ranging from basic commuting to the fanciest luxury and sports vehicles to satisfy every car buff. Let’s all make the right decision, for the sake of our planet and our future generations.