IF I had my way, I would choose the development of electric vehicles over any other technologies that are being introduced to combat the spiraling cost of oil these days.

The launch of the first batch of 14-seater e-jeepneys that will service the Legaspi and Salcedo Villages in the financial district of Makati is a giant step in the promotion of vehicles that use new and viable energy sources.

Since many of our mass transport vehicles, especially buses, jeepeneys and taxis, are encouraged by the government to switch to alternative fuel, the electric vehicle fits the bill.

No, it’s not that I am against liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG. Comparing the cost and environmental benefits of an electric vehicle against an LPG-powered one will result in the former beating the latter in all departments. This is aside from the fact that almost 90 percent of the e-jeepneys’ components are sourced locally.

Those e-jeepneys are not slow as one might think. They run between 40 to 60 kph.  Their batteries can be charged in six to eight hours. It is reported that each charging, which only costs around P158, lasts at least 90 kilometers. And reports also have it that one charging is enough for an e-jeepney to make about 10 to 15 round trips. Electric vehicles also do not produce emissions that affect the environment. Definitely, the promotion of other electric mass transport (or even privately used) vehicles will be greatly appreciated, especially in this time of crisis.

We already have electric tricycles on some of our roads after Palawan Mayor Edward Hagedorn and Makati Mayor Jojo Binay supported their introduction several months back.

In the US, the most fuel-efficient cars are hybrids that use both gasoline and batteries.  Although hybrid cars are very expensive, they’ve become an instant hit as megabuck actors and political personalities flaunt them as their way of helping in the greening of the environment. The Toyota Prius currently leads the way and is now considered as the most fuel-efficient car in the world.

Two to three years from now, a new generation of hybrid cars will be fielded on all fronts by those car manufacturers who have already invested heavily in the said technology. Sooner of later, hybrid cars will no longer use gasoline, and that will be the time when Henry Ford’s immemorial T-model cars will be remembered once again.

And that will be the time when those greedy oil producers will come to their senses, and we hope they would reflect for a while and think about their sins on how they made the world very poor and hungry.

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AND in this time of skyrocketing oil prices, even the rich are feeling the pinch.

That’s why the news that Emerald Joy Villaflor of PGA Cars e-mailed to us recently about its all-new Audi A4 2.0TDI that “ran 29 kilometers per liter of diesel” is a welcome one. Here’s her story:

“Twenty randomly selected readers of a motoring magazine and a team of two from Audi fully exploited the efficiency potential of the new Audi A4 2.0 TDI in order to drive from Basel to Vienna and back on a single tank of fuel. All 11 teams made it to the end and still had between 5 and 9 liters of diesel left over. After a total driving time of 22 hours on average with an average speed of between 74 and 81 km/h, the white Audi A4 cars reached their destination.

“The new 2-liter TDI engine provides ideal conditions for economical driving. With a combined consumption figure of just 20 kilometers per liter and CO2 emissions of only 134 grams per kilometer, the efficiency of the sportiest midsize sedan is simply outstanding.

“However, participants in the Audi efficiency competition significantly bettered even these impressive combined consumption figures. The winning team needed just 29 kilometers per liter. This equates to CO2 emissions of only 91 grams per kilometer—an outstanding figure at an average speed of 81.4 kph. Four teams achieved less than 29 kilometers per liter. But even the Audi in 11th place recorded an impressive average fuel consumption of 27 kilometers per liter.”

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THERE are several states in the US that have passed a law prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. The law, however, allows the use of hands-free devices while driving.

A US study found that drivers using cell phones are four times more likely to be in an accident. That study suggested that limiting cell-phone usage to hands-free devices doesn’t have much of an effect. In short, it’s the distraction of talking on the cell phone that affects the focus of a driver on the road.

Here, the use of cell phones while driving goes on unabated. Despite the various ordinances banning the practice, many drivers can be seen doing it.

Let it all out!

NEVER one to miss a spectacle—even if required by Motor Image’s marketing honcho Ariel de Jesus to wear a suit—this writer had to attend the launch of the new Forester, Subaru’s version of the crossover SUV. And Subaru, true to its form, celebrated this event with a hoopla as grand as Rio’s carnivals.

YOU can be hip and you can be hop. Dodge has introduced a new vehicle in town that popped up real hard and it can blow your imagination to the top!

Lived to tell

ONCE upon a time, not so long ago, this writer experienced something harrowing that may be of interest to the casual motorist. Kept within the confines of his mind for so long, the experience still gives him nasty flashbacks.

Wacky Races redux

HANNA-BARBERA’S Wacky Races showed that even an automobile race can have a bunch of obstacles—both natural and man-made—that can render even the best of strategies moot and level the field.

Eyes on the Road: Greed is behind the skyrocketing oil prices

IF I had my way, I would choose the development of electric vehicles over any other technologies that are being introduced to combat the spiraling cost of oil these days.

Full Tank: Of Subaru, Honda, Toyota and Pocholo

I HAVE yet to drive it, but I have this feeling the second-generation Forester, Subaru’s brand-new babe, will really prove to be another winner in the discriminatingly picky SUV segment.