Philippine Gov't DOST developing Filipino 'road train' - September 2013

loQal - The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) announced it will develop a monorail train system that will run on electricity. A 500-meter track will be built at the UP Diliman campus to test this monorail system. (Computer-generated design courtesy of DoST)

Philippines --- A "Road Train" that can transport more commuters than the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) is being developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), with a prototype expected in September, 2013.

The DOST conceived of the Road Train as it continued to test the Automated Guideway System (AGT) on an elevated rail line at the campus of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City.

Another train in an elevated track is also being pushed by the DOST, starting in front of the DOST head office all the way to Laguna.

Without giving much details, DOST Secretary Mario Montejo revealed the plans for the Road Train at the opening day on Friday of the "Innovation Congress" or ICON at Bonifacio Global City.

DOST and Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID), headed by president Fe Agudo, co-organized ICON until April 7.

Montejo said it is the task of the DOST to leverage science and technology (S&T) to create new and better products, processes, services, and systems" to improve the lives of Filipinos.

Montejo said the planned Road Train will have a dedicated track, but can also travel using vehicles' ordinary wheels in Metro Manila roads.

It will have an average speed of 30 kilometers per hour, and trains coming after each other at every 1.5 minutes, he said.

"There will be four couches in every Road Train, each couch capable of having 120 passengers for a total of 480 people," said Montejo.

"While MRT accommodates about 500,000 passengers a day, the Road Train will have some 652,800 commuters and run 17 hours a day," he said.

Filipinos are behind the making of the Road Train, he added.

He said innovation without action is empty and not capable of addressing the countless challenges that Filipinos face.

Yahoo News!

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PF: All Oil and Gas in Paracels and Spratlys West Philippine Sea are LIES

All those oil and gas deposits everyone wants in the South China Sea may not even be there

As it stands, six countries claim conflicting territorial rights in the long-simmering South China Sea dispute. As anyone will tell you, one of the main drivers of this conflict is the "sizable deposits of oil and gas" believed to reside in the area. But what if that's actually a lie? A new report by the U.S. Energy and Information Administration finds that the contested areas of the South China Sea do not have large conventional oil and natural gas resources:

"The Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands are two of the most contested areas (see dark blue islands on map above). However, unlike other parts of the South China Sea, these areas have not been assessed to hold large (conventional) resources of oil and natural gas....

EIA's analysis shows that most fields containing discovered oil and natural gas are clustered in uncontested parts of the South China Sea, close to shorelines of the coastal countries, and not near the contested islands. Industry sources suggest almost no oil and less than 100 billion cubic feet of natural gas in proved and probable reserves exist in fields near the Spratly Islands. The Paracel Island territory has even less natural gas and no oil".

Below is an EIA map of proved and probable oil and gas reserves in the area:

So maybe going to war over the disputed islands isn't such a great idea? Worth considering.

Foreign Policy

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Japan Terra Motors launches electric tuk-tuk for the Philippines 100,000 units in 2016

Terra Motors' e-tricycle can carry six and travel 31 miles per charge. (Credit: Terra Motors)

"E-trikes" are part of a movement to cut CO2 emissions and fuel costs in Asian cities. Manila wants 100,000 by 2016.

Tuk-tuks are a common way to get around in many Asian cities, but they contribute to urban pollution and high fuel costs.

Tokyo-based startup Terra Motors wants to put more non-polluting vehicles on the streets with an electric tuk-tuk unveiled this week for the Philippines.

The blue and white "e-tricycle" is powered by a lithium-ion battery and can carry six people including the driver. It's just under 11 feet long and is steered with handlebars.

It can travel some 31 miles per 2-hour charge, according to the firm, which is hoping to become the world's top electric tuk-tuk maker.

"There is no single company in Asia that mass-produces electric bikes or tricycles," president Toru Tokushige was quoted as saying by AFP.

"I think it could have a big impact if a Japanese company is the pioneer in the market with products of such a futuristic design."

The tuk-tuks will go on sale in fall 2013 for about $6,300 apiece.

Terra Motors is gunning for a Philippine government plan, funded by a $300 million Asian Development Bank loan, to replace 100,000 gas-powered tricycle taxis with "e-trikes" by 2016.

The average tuk-tuk driver in the Philippines earns less than $10 a day, but e-trikes will save him $5 a day in fuel costs, according to the bank. The trikes will be introduced to Manila and other cities under a lease-to-own system.

"Replacing 100,000 gasoline-powered trikes will enable the Philippine government to save more than $100 million a year in avoided fuel imports, while decreasing annual CO2 emissions by about 260,000 tons," the bank said in a release. http://cnet.co/172FfHx

C|Net

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