(Quezon City) The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded ten winners for its recently concluded Nationwide Contest for the Best E-trike Design contest. The contest, drawing 180 entries, is part of the agency’s new “Bright Now! Do Right, Be Bright” campaign.
Presented during a ceremony at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) auditorium in Quezon City, the DOE awarded ten individuals whom it adjudged as having the best designs. The contest called on interested parties to submit 2D and 3D computer aided drawings with the best aesthetic and yet functional designs for an E-Trike which will eventually be used as a blueprint for future usage.
The DOE said that entries submitted must be able to seat at most six passengers, excluding the driver. The DOE notes that, as a point of reference, contestants could look at existing designs from local government units (LGUs), such as the cities of Taguig and Mandaluyong, who are already demonstrating the viability of E-tricycles.
"The E-Trike Design Contest is one way for the government to involve our stakeholders in our advocacy of utilizing technologies which are not only cleaner but will also incur savings to them. These two are foremost in our continuing rally behind E-Vehicles,” the Energy Department said. However, there are still contradicting opinions against the use of E-vehicles, many quarters feel that optimizing energy utilization can still be made by improving the country’s traffic schematics and its roadways.
The criteria for judging in the contest centered on aesthetics/ creativity (50%), originality/innovation (20%), safety and functionality (20%), and ergonomics (10%). The Land Transportation Office (LTO) provided a simplified safety checklist to ensure the viability of the E-trike Designs. The contest’s unique and pioneering theme (Bright Now!) was made to recognize the benevolent relationship that stakeholders have with the technology that are at hand in successfully designing vehicles that will profoundly impact consumer lifestyles eliciting a connection to sustainability.
The top three (3) winners, winning P200,000.00, of the first ever ETrike design contest announced on March 1, 2012 were:
- Allen Mari R. Pillares, Batangas City
- Julius P. Valiente, Soy Bean Design
- Norielle Ace M. Serrano, Manila
On the other hand, the seven (7) consolation prize winners, with P50,000.00 each, were:
- Arvin Kim E. Guinhawa, Batangas City
- Marciano H. Santos, Jr., Las Piñas City
- Jan Mikol R. Avellana, Pasig City
- William O. Moraga, Las Piñas City
- Joel C. Albacete, Zambales
- Vincent Jo B. Hipolito, Quezon City
- Theodore (Ted) R. Miraflores, Bacolod City