Manila The Philippines has launched its first battery-powered bus, a system of carriage that the government says produces no greenhouse gases and contributes to efforts to cushion the effects of climate change.
The introduction of the battery-powered bus, called "eBus," (electric bus) was made possible through the partnership between the government's Climate Change Commission and a local bus company, Victory Liner, one of the country's leading transport operators, a statement issued by the presidential palace said.
Dubbed "Victory Against Climate Change," the programme aims to promote the eBus as a viable alternative to conventional internal combustion-engined buses.
"We are looking at the eBus as one of the vehicles that will carry government efforts to address the causes of climate change. The use of gasoline or diesel in our vehicles has been identified by science as one of the causes of climate change as it produces carbon dioxide, one of the major GHGs (greenhouse gases) in our atmosphere," Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. explained.
Ochoa led the ceremonial turning on of the ignition switch of this new breed of commuter bus. The eBus is designed to run on batteries and thus, is relatively silent compared to conventional buses and produces less greenhouse gas emissions.
Strategy
The eBus programme is being implemented under the Climate Change Commission as well as the Department of Energy.
Under Republic Act No. 9729, also known as the Climate Change Act of 2009, the Commission is mandated to promote and provide technical support to local research and development programmes that will help address climate change.
Secretary Mary Ann Lucille L. Sering, Commission Vice Chairperson, said the use of battery-powered vehicles is one of the strategies under the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
