With the prices of gasoline going almost unaffordable to most Filipinos, this could be the solution: The e-class bike.

The e-class bikes which look like motorcycles but which runs on electricity, was introduced to Pangasinenses during the opening of a "hub" of the Electric Motor Cycle 1 Corporation at the Nice Place compound in Urdaneta City last week. The hub will be managed by Rosendo So who owns the compound.

A fact sheet distributed during the inauguration of the hub (a hub provides support services to distributors) showed that e-class bike with brand name EMC¹ are being sold in the country by the company which imports from China.

"The e-bike is a product of international cooperation with the technology from Japan, design from Italy and manufactured in China," Edmond Dantes S. Antonio, consultant of the EMC¹, said.

Aside from savings from not using gasoline, the e-bike is also environment-friendly as it emits no smoke and is virtually noise-free unlike the motorcycles that run on gasoline.

Chuck Crisanto, chief executive officer of EMC¹, said the e-class bike "would be the next 'appliance'  households after households have purchased television set, refrigerator and cellular phones."

With cellular phones, you can communicate. What's next? It's mobility which the e-class can provide," he said during the briefing on the vehicle.

The EMC¹ is run by batteries that can be charged through the standard 220 electrical outlets for 2-4 hours.

A fully-charged battery (advanced sealed lead acid battery) will enable the motorbike to run a 40-60 kilometer-distance. Crisanto claimed that a two-hour charging of the batteries cost only P5.82 (Meralco rate) as compared to two liters of gas (needed to run the same distance) which cost about P70. The battery, which cost like that of standard car battery) has a lifespan of three years with normal wear and tear.

The e-bikes have several models, the cost of which ranges from P30,000 to P118,000, depending on the capacity and design. The Tugon for instance, the least costly, looks like a pedal bike and can run only for 35 kph. "It's best for mothers and schoolchildren," Crisanto said.

The most expensive e-bike is the blitzkrieg which is marketed only to government for use by police. It has a beacon light, built-in sirens and foot brakes. "It's good for surveillance as it is noiseless," Antonio explained.

About 800 e-bikes of different designs have been sold in the country since it was introduced in May last year, Crisanto said.
He explained that his job now is mostly explaining to the people the features of this relatively new product. "It was like introducing cellphones in the 1980s when people were skeptical if it would work," he said.

But the present problem that users of e-bikes may meet are encounters with police who may apprehend them because of lack of Land Transportation Office registration plates.

Crisanto explained that as of present, there are no policies covering the electric-driven vehicles in the country yet. But the EMC¹ company is working with local government units to develop rules and regulations to cover the use of e-bikes.

The company, which will give certificates of ownership to owners, proposed that e-bike owners will register their units with the local government for monitoring.

Crisanto said that technology is not actually very new as it had been developed 15 years ago in Japan. The presence of electric-driven vehicles is already being felt in advanced European countries and Canada. Now, it's being pioneered in the Philippines.