Lapu-Lapu City: Operator of e-jeep that caught fire halts operations

The e-jeepney that caught fire last ay 13. | CDN Digital photo / Daryll Galindo

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu—The operator of the electronic solar-powered jeepney that caught fire while in Brgy. Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City, on May 13 has decided to suspend their operations until further notice.

Dennis Fernandito Solon, area manager for the United Drivers-Operators Transport Cooperative (UDOTCO) Transport Service Inc. that operates Star 8 Cebu e-jeeps in Lapu-Lapu City, said that they will resume operations after they are given a go signal by their Manila office.

This despite the decision of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to only suspended one of their franchises.

“The LTFRB only suspended one franchise case, which only includes seven units. However, our head office, especially the owner, advised us to pause our operations to give way for our own technicians as well as from Star 8’s and Acetech’s, the latter being the battery provider for our jeeps, to check our remaining units,” Solon told CDN Digital.

Daily losses

With the suspension of their operations, Solon said they expect losses amounting to at least P120, 000 per day.

UDOTCO acquired 100 e-jeepneys, of which only 35 remain operational to date.  The other units were already cannibalized for spare parts.

On Thursday, May 22, UDOTCO, alongside technicians from Manila, conducted a road test of their remaining units from their garage in Brgy. Basak in Lapu-Lapu City en route to a Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) terminal in Brgy. Lahug in Cebu City.

“A lot of passengers tried to hail our jeep, expecting a ride to our usual route,” Solon said. “A lot of them ask when our operations will resume.”

However, Solon said that the resumption of their operation will be up to their head office.

E-jeepney fire

Last May 13, one of their units burst into flames while at the vicinity of Sitio Hawaiian, Brgy. Marigondon.

Fortunately, the driver and his passengers were unharmed.

“The driver (and passengers) were okay. When the driver noticed smoke, he maneuvered it to an open place, away from other establishments,” Solon said.

“He didn’t panic,” he added.

Damages caused by the fire was pegged at P3 million.  The unit alone cost P2.5 million.

On May 14, UDOTCO and Star 8 Philippines issued a joint statement to announce the temporary suspension of their operations to allow an inspection of all their units.

“Star 8 Philippines and UDOTCO Transport Service Inc. decided to stop deploying our jeepneys on the road to pave the way for thorough inspections,” read part of the statement.

“We are also coordinating with the Acetech Electronics Corp., the battery supplier, to check or to replace all its deployed batteries in the garage,” it added.

The battery of the burnt e-jeepney continues to emit fumes. | CDN Digital photo / Daryll Galindo

Investigation

While the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is yet to complete its investigation on the fire incident, Solon disclosed that one of the e-jeep’s battery was believed to have caused the fire based on the outcome of their internal investigation.

Solon said they rent the batteries used on their e-jeeps from Acetech at P700 per day. Each of their e-jeepneys need two batteries to operate.

The battery that they recovered from their burnt unit is currently stored at the UDOTCO Star 8 garage in Barangay Basak while the Lapu-Lapu City Fire Department, Star 8 Philippines, and Acetech continue to investigate the fire incident.

As of this writing, Solon said that the battery continues to emit fumes that can be smelled five to ten meters away.  As a precaution, inspectors had to wear mask during their inspection.

Foreign experts

Solon said that as part of their internal investigation, they are planning to tap the help of lithium-ion battery experts from abroad.

“Finding an expert would definitely take time. They would be foreign experts, maybe someone from Europe,” Solon said.

He said they needed expert opinion to especially settle the dispute involving Star 8 and Acetch as to who is to blame for the e-jeep fire.

“Both companies are pointing fingers at each other for who exactly was responsible,” Solon.

To address the matter, the BFP suggested to consult with experts.

Meanwhile, Solon admitted that this was not the first time that a battery being used on their units burst into flames.

Last May 10, one of the battery from another unit also burst into flames for still unknown reasons.