A mechanical engineer with a passion for automobiles has invented an electric mini sedan that he plans to sell as a taxi or as a service vehicle for local government units.
The sedan is now the flagship product of Clima Mobility, the newest member of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines, which was founded by Adonis Lagangan, a 1994 alumnus of the Mapua Institute of Technology.
Even at a young age, Lagangan had an intense passion for automobiles. He dreamt of one day designing and assembling his own electric car. To acquire the needed funding, he became an overseas Filipino worker in coal-fired power plant projects around Asia as a project-based commissioning engineer for Marubeni Corp.
He narrates that he was so passionate about pursuing his dream such that in between deployments, he honed his skills in forming and 3D CADD designing. “I then worked to complete the design of the prototype of my dream electric car. I fervently hoped that one day, I will become a full-time EV manufacturer.”
Lagangan got his wish. As soon as he got the chance to be home more often, he set up Clima Mobility and went about building the prototype of his electric car. This became their flagship product, an electric mini sedan they call the Genius EV.
The Genius EV has a seating capacity of five persons and is powered by a 10-kilowatt, 72-volt brushless DC motor. Power is provided by six pieces of 12-volt, 120-ampere-hour Motolite batteries. It has a maximum speed of 75 kilometers per hour with a range of 60 to 70 kilometers after charging for four to five hours. He expects to sell the Genius EV for a target SRP of about P450,000 to P500,000.
Lagangan’s plan is to offer the Genius EV to local government units and other government agencies, corporate clients, taxi operators, and individuals. “It can be used as a small electric taxi for Metro Manila, as a patrol car for the barangays, as a service vehicle for LGUs, government agencies and big companies and as a delivery car for logistics companies with the rear portion modified as an enclosed van. Even individuals who wish to save on fuel and help reduce pollution in the city will find the Genius EV the perfect solution.”
“However, first, we need to gear up for bigger manufacturing prospects,” he says. “Right now, we manufacture on a build-to-order basis. We need green financing to help finance our operations and an inventory of electric cars. Thus, we are now in search for grants and funding to build up our plant capacity. We are also open to partnership, whether local or foreign, for funding and technical assistance to improve our product.”
EVAP President Rommel Juan says that Lagangan and his Clima Mobility are now on level 1 and are on the right track towards bringing his dream up to level 2, the mass production of Genius EV. “At this stage, a little help from government would be much needed because now, we have a mini sedan that is proudly Philippine-made!
For more information about the Genius EV, please contact Clima Mobility through 09158861073 or email at alagangan@yahoo.comor EVAP through 09239432073 or email at secretariat.evap@gmail.com.
