Why am I writing about a vehicle? Any why am I mentioning Philippines and Nigeria?
Well....
Two reasons:
- My niece in the Philippines wants to get a vehicle and
- @monica-ene wrote that Nigeria is ending a fuel subsidy and many people are looking at transportation options with consternation.
Also, I'm hoping to be an Expat living in the Philippines in a couple of years so finding the right vehicle to purchase is something I've been thinking about.
What do I currently own? Would they be good choices?
2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Excellent vehicle. Great Value.
But it breaks the first rule of being an Expat
Don't look rich!
- Having an expensive vehicle can be seen as bragging (which is bad)
- It can be more expensive to maintain (which is bad)
- It makes people think your rich so you get robbed (also bad)
RESULT: No expensive vehicles.
2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
Why do I have this vehicle? It's beat up and dented. It has some mechanical and electrical issues. It's not great on fuel. However, its old and common. Fits lots of stuff and lots of people. I only paid $350 USD for it so its cheap enough I won't be sad if it breaks, gets stolen, or generally stops working.
However I'd never drive it in the Philippines (and probably not Nigeria)
Why not?
Road and traffic are terrible in the Philippines AND
Big vehicles are a pain to maneouver.
Result: No Dodge Caravan for me.
2015 Mitsubishi Mirage
At first glance it might be a decent choice.
- It's common enough to not stand out.
- It new enough to not need major work
- It is old enough to not be expensive
- it is small enough to get around in traffic or over bad roads easily
- It uses very little fuel so its cheap to operate
However,
It is still not the vehicle for me
Why not?
Because I think there is something better
My Choice for my perfect vehicle
A Mitsubishi i-Miev
Now my guess you are looking at the vehicle and thinking....
Seriously?
.....Why would you want that?
..........It's really ugly
And you would be right. When it was released in the USA and Canada it had absolutely terrible sales. No-one wanted this poor little vehicle. It had a terrible range on a full tank (about 110km). It has terrible power and accelleration. It looked pretty ugly. So why on earth would I want a vehicle like that?
I'll break it down into three parts:
- Driveability
- Operating Costs
- Versatility and extra uses
First ---
Driveability
It may not look like much but it can turn sharply. Accelerate well at low speed. Has 5 doors so its easy to get people in and out of the vehicle.
that's good so far
In addition its ugly enough people aren't going to target it as a steal me first vehicle.
It's cheap (and ugly) enough that no-one is going to think that a rich person is
its range is long enough to get to and from town to do errands...but so short no-one can steal it and take it a long way from town. A little extra theft protection 😉
Second ---
Operating Costs
Okay. I don't know the cost of fuel in either Nigeria or Philippines. However, in Canada it is about $2 / liter (Canadian)
Cost to drive my Mirage 100km = $7.5 HBD
Cost to drive my Outlander 100km = $11.25 HBD
Cost to drive the Caravan 100km = $15 HBD
(roughly)
How expensive is the vehicle pictured?
Cost to drive 100km = $1.50 HBD
Even better when I talked to the Mitsubishi dealership they said that maintenance costs were virtually zero. All it needed once a year is grease everything up. Check the brakes. Rotate and check the tires then get back on the road.
In Short :
It is SUPER Cheap to operate
Why is it so cheap to operate?
Because it is an electric vehicle
Now I'm certain that all my Nigerian friends are going to say EMPHATICALLY but the power system in Nigeria is terrible! We are lucky to get 6 hours of electricity a day!!! Only a crazy person would want an electric car here!
Which leads me to my next point
Third ---
Versatility and extra uses
Now both the Philippines and Nigeria are well known for power outages. I had three power outages while staying in major centers in the Philippines just 6 months ago. I am very well aware that power outages are an issue!
Which is why this vehicle is so interesting.
You see it has a CHAdeMo charger on it.
....and the correct response to that is....So What?
Well, the CHAdeMO port on the car will allow you to charge the car, obviously. However, it ALSO allows the vehicle to power your home!
Source
There is a Canadian company that makes a product that allows you to charge your vehicle when there is power from the electric company but also powers your home when there is a power outage!
Imagine that you can charge your car during the evening hours when the power grid is operational. Then have your vehicle power your home during the day when the power goes out! You would be the only house on the block which has power all the time.
Add some solar panels to the roof... Even better. Now you can charge your car on any day that there is sun. Power your house on any day that there i sun. Use electricity from the power grid when there isn't sun. Have a giant battery backup when the power goes out.
How big is the battery backup?
Well... The typical cellphone battery booster is about 10,000mah or about 10Ah which is about 50watts for at 5V
How about this vehicle: 16,000Watts
So about 800x as powerful as a cellphone battery booster.
Oops forgot to mention price
Now, no vehicle is ever going to be cheap. That's just a part of having a vehicle. However, here is the full listing for the vehicle I pictured above.
I know the price of vehicles in the Philippines and at $2,720 HBD (plus shipping, import fees, etc) it is actually fairly cheap as far as vehicles go.
By Nigerian standards...well.... I have no idea.
But still....
Just being able to have power 24 hours a day that would be a HUGE benefit from my viewpoint.
Being able to have it renewable with solar panels....That's a WOW in my viewpoint.
and yes other types of power output are available like this one:
source