LAST New Year’s Eve, our family was at the Okada Manila where we celebrated the Countdown to 2019 and watched the fireworks. While waiting for our vehicle outside the hotel, we saw that the air was full of smoke due to the fireworks. I had to tell my family to cover their noses and try not to breathe in the polluted air. I also overheard people talking about how harmful the smoke emitted by fireworks was and that it could pose a health risk particularly to people who suffer from asthma and other pulmonary issues.
According to the Air Quality Expert Group, fireworks leave metal particles, dangerous toxins, harmful chemicals and smoke in the air for days and hours that never fully decompose or disintegrate, but rather hang around in the environment—poisoning all they come into contact with. This is the same reason why a lot of people get sick after the holidays. The gases such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide can cause respiratory problems if their concentration in the local atmosphere is heightened. But these levels of compounds are relatively insignificant compared to those produced by the burning of fossil fuels by cars every day.
This is the reason why a growing number of countries are addressing air pollution by promoting the use of electric vehicles. Unlike traditional motor vehicles, electric vehicles do not run on diesel or gasoline. Electric vehicles don’t emit air pollutants.
China for example is implementing various measures that aim to convince people to choose electric vehicles over traditional motor vehicles. Beijing, for instance, intends to build 435,000 electric vehicle charging stations between 2016 and 2020. They granted generous subsidies to motorists who buy electric cars. China’s plan for 2018 is to require its automakers to ensure that electric vehicles constitute at least eight percent of their vehicle output.
Meanwhile, the Indian government announced that only electric cars will be sold in India by 2030. “The idea is that by 2030, not a single petrol or diesel car should be sold in the country.
Paris has already started operating a new electric tram-bus last year. The electric tram-bus, called the “Olympic tramway” (in reference to the city’s bid for the 2024 Olympics), will run on two traffic lanes on the Quais Hauts on the Seine’s Right Bank. Aside from tackling Paris’ air pollution, the “Olympic tramway” is also expected to reduce the city’s heavy traffic congestion.
Recently, I had the chance to drive the latest offering of BYD Philippines, the Tang, which is a seven-seater plug-in hybrid electric SUV. The Tang, which is one of the bestselling electric vehicles of BYD, topped China vehicle sales in August of 2018 according to China Electric Car Sales Report.
Hardly surprising because, the Tang is an eye-catcher. Its design lines accentuated by a curvy body and sharp LED headlights strike a unique stance and image. As soon as you switch on the vehicle, you see the lights of the instrumentation inside the airplane-like cockpit. It had no noise, vibration as well as emission and no power lag when you’re underway. I had to turn it off and on as I wasn’t sure if it the motor was already running, but when you step on the accelerator, the vehicle manifests its power on demand. The engine can go from zero to 100 kph in less than five seconds with a top speed of 180 km, which is powered by a 2-liter turbo DCT six-speed automatic gasoline engine. The combination of turbo engine and electric mode gives a total power output of 505 hp on hybrid electric sport mode. According to accompanying literature, it has a range of 80 km on pure EV mode.
This electric car doesn’t need a charging station. The Tang can be plugged into any regular 220V outlet just like the BYD Qin and e6 electric vehicles that they are also selling here in the country. It will only take a maximum of eight hours to achieve a full charge while the vehicle is idle in your home or office. The Tang has a feature to load (V2L), which allows one to use the vehicle’s battery as a power source when one is off-grid.
Inside, the Tang is nothing but sophistication and innovative features. It is luxuriously appointed with high offerings such as a large 12.1-inch TFT LCD touchscreen in the middle of the dash and a 10.1-inch infotainment system with navigation as well as a television function and HD video system 4.0 with nine speakers. There’s even a built-in PM 2.5air purification system.
All the seats are dressed in leather and a panoramic sunroof is installed as well as a six reverse radar sensor and a 360-degree parking-assist view system that is seen on the touchscreen. It has ample space inside and the interior styling is very European. The Tang can be remotely-controlled for parking assistance and this EV is loaded with safety features including tire pressure monitoring system; engine electric immobilizer; anti-theft system; collapsible steering system; traction control system; and ISO-FIX children’s seat fixtures, to name a few.
In the Philippines, the Tang is sold at P 3,288,000 by Solar Transport Automotive Resources Corp. or STAR Corp., the exclusive distributor of BYD vehicles in the country. The price of the Tang is not bad considering its features plus the fact that it’s an electric vehicle. This is an ideal first electric car for any environment-conscious motorist.
Electric vehicles can be an effective solution to air pollution, however, their potential to reduce air pollution in the city will not be fully realized if consumers will not support them. City governments must encourage people to use electric vehicles by making them affordable, easily accessible and reliable. The Philippine government can pass the clean air bill to reduce the taxes and we can even get these electric cars less expensive in the near future.