After Puerto Princesa and Taguig City, it is now the turn of the city government of Makati to deploy electric-powered tricycles (e-trikes) in the financial district as traffic and security patrol vehicles. Named the 'Aerocab' by its designer, the egg-shaped version of electric tricycles will be tested for one week along the busy Ayala Avenue.

The e-trike is a modification of a gasoline-powered single motorcycle with a sidecar. The difference is that it is powered by electricity, has no emission and is noise free. This alternative mode of transportation is also efficient, easy to use, more stable and safer for road travel.

After it was introduced last October 2008, several local government officials have already expressed interest in acquiring these huge golf-cart-like vehicles that are powered by five 12V batteries. They need six to 10 hours of charging for a range of 100 to 120 kilometers at speeds of 30 to 45 kilometers per hour.

The design and noiseless features of e-trikes make it more suitable in business districts, private subdivisions, resorts and even military camps. No wonder it has been used already to ferry personnel in Philippine Air-Force (PAF) airbases in Villamor, Mactan in Cebu, and Clark in Pampanga.

The cost of each unit ranged from about PhP 140,000.00 to PhP 150,000.00 and it can carry up to 8 passengers or 800 kilos of maximum payload, compared to only 5 passengers for their gasoline-powered counterparts. The eight-hour charging requirement will only cost PhP 38.00, way below the estimated cost of around PhP 200.00 for gasoline by the current breed of trikes. Hence, income of operators could increase by up to 200 percent and operation can be decreased by as much as 70 percent.

Question is, can the local government convince the tricycle operators in their areas to shift to electric-powered units to ease up on air pollution and help stop global warming? Since these 'passenger-friendly' trikes are a lot slower compared to their polluter version, more initiatives are required during the transition. Nevertheless, local officials are very optimistic that they can promote it because it is more financially viable in the long-term.

At present, manufacturers and dealers of e-trikes are increasing in number. Aside from its inventor, Antonio Aguilar of Marilao, Bulacan, Electric Vehicle Solutions and Aerocab Corporation are also selling the e-trikes to the public.

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In these times of economic uncertainty, many entrepreneurs and business owners are trying to find ways to save some cost and minimize losses. One of those capital expenditure that usually takes the priority budget cuts are motor vehicles that service the needs of the company or provide accessibility to supplies.

The popular choice it seems in the small-scale business community include micro cars that can give business owners top-notch fuel efficiency at a competitive price. The problem is that, these cars do not fare well in collisions with larger vehicles.

In crash tests released last 21 April 2009, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers of 2009 versions of the Smart "fortwo," Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris could face significant leg and head injuries in severe front-end crashes with larger, mid-size vehicles.

"There are good reasons people buy mini cars. They're more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety trade-offs are clear from our new tests," said Adrian Lund, the institute's president.

Automakers who manufacture the small cars said the tests simulated a high-speed crash that rarely happens on the road. They also said the tests rehashed past insurance industry arguments against tougher fuel efficiency requirements. The institute has raised questions about whether stricter gas mileage rules, which are being developed by the government, might lead to smaller, lighter vehicles that could be less safe.

"If you were to take that argument to the nth degree, we should all be driving 18-wheelers. And the trend in society today is just the opposite," said Dave Schembri, president of Smart USA.

Sales of small cars soared when gas prices topped US$ 4 per gallon (US$ 1.05 per liter) last year but have fallen off as gasoline has retreated to about US$ 2 a gallon (53 cents) and the economic downturn has slowed car sales. The small cars are affordable — prices of the three cars tested range from about US$ 12,000 to US$ 18,000 — and typically achieve 30 miles per gallon (13 kilometers per liter) or more.

The tests involved head-on crashes between the fortwo and a 2009 Mercedes C Class, the Fit and a 2009 Honda Accord and the Yaris and the 2009 Toyota Camry. The tests were conducted at 40 miles per hour, representing a severe crash.

In the fortwo collision, the institute said the Smart, which weighs 1,808 lbs, went airborne and turned around 450 degrees after striking the C Class, which weighs nearly twice as much. There was extensive damage to the fortwo's interior and the Smart driver could have faced extensive injuries to the head and legs. There was little damage to the front seat area of the C Class.

Schembri said the test simulated a "rare and extreme scenario" and noted that the fortwo had received solid ratings from the government's crash test program. The fortwo has received top scores from the Insurance Institute in front-end and side crash tests against comparably sized vehicles, but in the front-end tests against the C Class, the institute gave the minicar poor marks.

In the Fit's test, the dummy's head struck the steering wheel through the air bag and showed a high risk of leg injuries. In the vehicle-to-vehicle test, the Fit was rated poor while the Accord's structure held up well.

Honda spokesman Todd Mittleman said the tests involved "unusual and extreme conditions" and noted that all 2009 Honda vehicles had received top scores from the Insurance Institute.

In the Yaris test, the institute said the mini car sustained damage to the door and front passenger area. The driver dummy showed signs of head injuries, a deep gash on the right knee and extensive forces to the neck and right leg.

The Yaris has received good ratings in past front and side testing but received a poor rating in the crash with the Camry. Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the car-to-car test had little relevance to consumers because of its severity.

"It's fairly obvious that they have an agenda here with regard to how smaller cars are going to be entering the North American market in larger numbers," Hanson said.

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According to EvanCarmichael.Com, with people losing their faith in large corporations they are seeing a big jump in the number of new entrepreneurs who are getting into the business world. This means that people are resorting to ways that allows them to better control their destiny.

This is the reason why they have put together their 2009 list of the top blogs for startups. The list can help inspire blog owners to stay on top to ensure a greater chance at success with their respective companies this year. The full list is posted here: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Tools/Top-50-Blogs-For-Startups-In-2009.htm..

At number 35 is this blog, Seek No More, and this writer would like to take this opportunity to thank all the avid readers, entrecard droppers, mybloglog community members, friends and even stalkers. Also, worthy to be mentioned is Evan Carmichael, owner and Chief Operating Officer in Redasoft, for giving this blog the motivation to follow its passion and the strategies it needs to succeed.

EvanCarmichael.com is the Internet's #1 resource for small business motivation and strategies. With over 350,000 monthly visitors, 3,600 contributing authors, and 50,000 pages of content no website shares more profiles of famous entrepreneurs and inspires more small business owners than EvanCarmichael.Com.

A primary focus of EvanCarmichael.Com is profiles of famous entrepreneurs, how they got started, and what their advice is for entrepreneurs. They showcase successful business owners from the past (Henry Ford, Coco Chanel, Andrew Carnegie) to the present (Calvin Klein, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Dell).

Another focus of the site is publishing the advice of small business experts. They currently have over 3,600 leading consultants, coaches, and professionals contributing to their website. These include big name industry leaders such as Donald Trump, Michael Gerber, Zig Ziglar, Jack Canfield, and Tom Peters. A number of rapidly growing entrepreneurs also contribute their advice to entrepreneurs including Frank Cianciulli who was recently honored as Ernst & Young Canada's Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year.

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According to Paul M. Icamina of The Sunday Times, beyond textiles, natural fibers are highly valued for a myriad of applications.

The Philippines has some 30 useful fiber crops of which abaca, ramie, coconut coir, salago, maguey, buntal, raffia, kapok, piña, banana, kozo, kenaf and silk, have commercial applications.

About 143,585 hectares are currently planted to fiber crops; 94.7 percent (135,958 has.) are planted to abaca. The rest is planted to ramie, salago, buri, maguey, mulberry and other fiber crops.

Fiber production in 2005 was 79,131 metric tons; 73,875 tons (93 percent) came from abaca. That was worth P2.65 billion, a steep increase over P2 billion in 2004; abaca accounted for P2.61 billion (98 percent).

High abaca demand caused fiber exports to rise to P4.99 billion that year, compared to P4.35 billion in 2004.

Abaca is plagued by low farm income productivity due to pests and diseases; inconsistent fiber quality; limited markets; and relatively high prices. The country’s dominance is threatened by Indonesia’s massive abaca plantations and the expansion of abaca farms in Ecuador.

Maguey is used in cordage, ropes, twines, carpets, wall coverings, crafts and handmade paper. The Philippines could produce maguey liquor —which is what Mexican tequila is.

Planted on 503.9 has., mostly in Bohol, maguey has declined because of inefficient fiber extraction, dwindling fiber supply due to old, sparsely planted or abandoned plantations. It takes four years from planting to harvesting while production returns are low.

Piña is used for barong, pañuelos, gowns, handkerchiefs, table linens, table napkins, table cloth, pillow cases, fans and other household items.

Piña fiber and cloth production, mostly from Aklan, suffered during Typhoon Frank last year. With handlooms and materials all damaged, production of pure piña and piña seda cloth dropped by 64 percent.

Still, liniwan piña fiber is priced at P1,380 per kilogram while bastos piña fetch P1,240/kg for loose and P5,750/kg for knotted.

The high price limits its market while lack of planting materials and piña leaves results in low fiber supply. Low capital prevents the expansion of plantations.

Demand for coconut coir is improving, with local purchases from upholstery and mattress makers as well as manufacturers of panel board, organic compost, vehicle upholstery, insulator pads against erosion. Coir is also a biodegradable cover for soil undergoing revegetation.

Sourcing husks remains a problem due to high freight cost, dearth of drying facilities and lack of high- density baling press.

Raffia can replace cord, grass, leaves, fabric, ribbon, stuffing, floral string and even paper. Hats, mats, baskets, bags and twine are also made from raffia. Last year, because of increased demand, raffia production in Quezon surpassed the output of Aklan, the major producer.

Salago, farmed in Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental, is used for handmade, stencil and currency paper; Japanese kimono and sliding door; as well as components for radio and computers. Production fluctuates due to a two-year harvesting cycle but export earnings average US$531,498 per year. Taiwan is the biggest buyer while China is the newest market.

Increasing demand for buntal means increased production in Bohol, Quezon, Marinduque and Palawan.

Icamina is recommending that the government needs to do more to support the natural fiber business and industry. It should not be complacent—other countries are building themselves up to compete with the Philippines.

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