QEV Philippines makes the case for a 'green jeepney' (electric jeepney) revolution

Is there anything quite as iconic in public transportation as the jeepneys that roam the roads throughout the Philippines? Ok, sure, London has its black cabs and, we suppose, its double-decker buses. Still, nothing marries timelessness and transport with a joie de vivre quite like these eccentric people movers that first arose from the carcasses of American army Jeeps after WWII.

QEV Philippines green electric jeepney

Now, one of the main drawbacks of these beasts of burden may be addressed by a program that would see 50,000 of them have their soot-spewing diesel motors replaced by electric drivetrains over the next five years. QEV Philippines Electromobility Solutions and Consulting Group has unveiled the first example of its "green jeepney" in a ceremony attended by a number of government officials and business partners, and presented its plan to improve the air quality in Metro Manila.

The idea isn't a new one. But, while there are ventures that have approached the electric jeepney from various angles in the past, this one differentiates itself in both scale and engineering. You see, the guys involved with designing the retrofit kit — Campos Racing — have already had a hand in other successful high-profile ventures. They helped develop the Arcfox-7, an electric supercar by Chinese outfit BAIC, which was first revealed last year. They also managed the Mahindra entries in the Formula E this past season, and work with racing teams in other non-electric series, like Formula 2 and the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). So, pretty legit.

Technical details of the drivetrain are scarce, but we understand that its lithium ion battery has enough juice for 80 to 140 km (50 to 87 miles), depending on load and conditions. Fast charging stations will be installed by the new "Cleanergy" network that can boost the batteries from 20% up to 80% in a mere 15 minutes. The conversion work will be handled by Sarao Motors, a company that can also build the electric jeepney from scratch.

QEV says that among other environmental improvements, the fleet will reduce consumption of 375 million liters (99 million US gallons) of oil a year, or about 3% of imported Brent crude. Considering it's just one project in one of the country's many cities, that's pretty impressive.

Often, ventures such as these in the far-flung corners of the world escape our eye, but lucky for us, German ex-pat Frank Schuengel sent word after having the chance to get up close and personal with the vehicle and take pictures (which he has generously shared with us), as well as talk with some of the people involved with the project. He even got to take it for a spin, video of which you can find below where it keeps company with a complete gallery and the official press release with even more details.

https://www.facebook.com/AmadeusPhotography/videos/10154577323957237/