Francisco Motors wants to revive "Harabas" as commercial EV

New "Harabas" being developed by FMC may not be as real as they claim

Francisco Motors is known for making the Harabas and the Anfra during the early days of the Asian Utility Vehicle (AUV), but now they are looking to launch their own fully electric vehicle.

CEO Elmer Francisco has announced they are developing the new Francisco Motors "Harabas". But instead of diesel power, it will be a versatile commercial EV.

For now, FMC says the prototype is nearing completion but the new Harabas looks ready for mass-production already. Unlike the e-jeepneys that FMC produces, the new Harabas EV has a modern commercial van design. If anything, the Harabas EV looks close to the Ford Transit Van.

The Harabas EV will be powered by an electric motor with a Lithium-Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery that FMC claims can do up to 400 kilometers of range. They further said the EV architecture of the Harabas has fast charging capabilities, juicing up the battery from 20 to 80% state of charge in just 30 minutes.

Moreover, the new Harabas uses brand new parts and components, unlike traditional Jeepney production where surplus truck parts are being utilized. Francisco said FMC can’t call the new Harabas EV as 100% Philippine made as they sourced out the commercial van’s components from OEM suppliers from US, Germany, China, Taiwan, and Australia – much like what the world’s car manufacturers do.

FMC said there will be a high roof, low roof, transporter, cargo, ambulance, and many more configurations of the Harabas EV to make it a versatile vehicle that can be used in many applications. Elmer Francisco said despite not having the support of the government yet, prototype testing is set to commence in the coming weeks while costing and mass production will follow.

We however noticed something interesting. Despite claims to be original "Filipino designed", the purported van seems to be a China-made van with badly photoshopped logos of FMC. The Chinese-made commercial van we’re talking about is the Wanxiang Auto T01. As we’ve found out from another post by Wanxiang Auto, the T01 commercial van is being offered in Europe. Hence, it can be bought with a right-hand-drive dashboard layout, similar to what FMC posted.

What's more interesting is the Harabas trademark has also been declared dormant by the Intellectual Property Office hence another brand was able to use the name for a light commercial vehicle.

We tried to reach out to Francisco for comment on this matter, but he has yet to respond.