Environmentalist: Free rides on green vehicle

Cebuanos  have  a chance to ride for free on the first solar-, wind- and pedal-powered vehicle in the country, which will ply  Osmeña Boulevard  today.

The entire boulevard will be closed for the day to all vehicles  from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.  except for this invention.

The non-gasoline vehicle, invented by a Cebuano, will have its debut as  part of the “Road Revolution”  in Cebu City, which is part of the  Independence Day celebration.

Environmentalist lawyer Antonio Oposa said  this was part of a national  declaration of “Freedom from Oil and Air Pollution.”

“To see is to believe. The best teacher is example and experience. If people  experience this (vehicle), they would realize that sustainable living is possible,” Oposa said.

Four areas will be designated as loading and unloading areas.

The 18-foot vehicle  can carry up to 10 passengers and has a capacity of one horsepower.

It runs at a slow speed of up to 20 kilometers per hour.

Brian Yuson of the St. James Academy in Compsotela town said he was  tapped by Oposa to create    the vehicle last April.

It  was originally designed as a train, he said. But since there are  no  more railroads in Cebu City, Yuson said he customized the vehicle and attached four wheels to make it run  without  rails.

He said the most challenging part  was creating the vehicle’s charging system.

The vehicle has solar panels in the front and a propeller at  the back.

Pedals in a bicycle-like setup were  installed   in the back attached to  six 24-plate batteries.

The batteries can  store energy to keep the vehicle running for 10 hours.

Oposa said that most of the materials used in the vehicle were recycled. The front came from a golf cart. The body was fashioned from metal from a junk shop.

Today’s car-free boulevard in the heart of Cebu City will be the venue of a  freedom walk, biking and aerobics exercises.

Oposa said  he and other environmentalists would  turn over more than 10,000 signatures supporting a proposed ordinance to reconstruct city roads with sidewalks, bike lanes, gardens and collective transportation.