A Tale of Two Hybrids: BYD Shark Pickup vs. the Idle DOST Electric Train in the Philippines
By
Raymond Tribdino
Summary
The article contrasts two hybrid machines encountered in the Philippines: the BYD Shark (a new plug-in hybrid pickup truck being test-driven) and a DOST Hybrid Electric Train (a research prototype train sitting idle on a siding track near the International Rice Research Institute). The author reflects on the irony of the energy transition, where one hybrid represents forward momentum and commercial viability, while the other — a decade-old government-funded project — remains stationary and seemingly forgotten. The piece explores themes of innovation, infrastructure challenges, and the gap between technological promise and real-world deployment in developing nations.
Source
bskyA Tale of Two Hybrids: BYD Shark Pickup vs. the Idle DOST Electric Train in the Philippinescleantechnica.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe irony of the energy transition is sometimes found not in a showroom, but on a siding track.
While putting the BYD Shark through its paces on the dusty backroads of Laguna, I found myself face-to-face with another hybrid machine — one that predates the Shark by nearly a decade and has barely moved since.
It sits as a silent sentinel in front of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) where I covered
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