The Department of Environment and Natural Resources received 10 units of electric and hybrid cars from Mitsubishi Motors Corp. as part of their partnership in promoting clean energy and environmental protection.
The donated cars, consisting of five units of Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle (i-MiEV) and five Outlander plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV), will be used by the DENR as service vehicles at its central office in Quezon City and regional offices in the cities of Cebu and Davao.
DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones said the department was supporting the use of vehicles run by renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions in the transport sector.
“We need to encourage the production and consumption of technologies which do not damage the environment,” said Leones.
Mitsubishi will also install quick battery charging systems for the electric and hybrid cars in selected DENR offices.
Carbon emissions from electric and hybrid cars are significantly less than those of a conventional car, which is dependent on fossil fuel.
According to the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau, motor vehicles account for 88 percent of the total air pollutants in Metro Manila. The rest are attributed to factories and open burning.
The DENR and Mitsubishi in February signed a memorandum of understanding in which the multinational car manufacturer, under its corporate social responsibility program, vowed to support the agency’s environmental projects, including the promotion of electric and hybrid vehicle technology.
Nitsubishi also agreed to establish mangrove and bamboo plantations covering a 100 hectares within a period of four to five years.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu earlier vowed to prioritize environmental protection through the full implementation of existing laws on clean air, clean water and solid waste management.
