Episode 6-Gasolina vs. Hybrid: Sulit Ba ang Paglipat sa Bagong Henerasyon?

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Philippe: So let’s watch. Let’s watch this video I found online.

(Video playing, – excerpt from YouTube)
“it’s about the second most prevalent liquid on Earth. Putting a price on oil is like putting a price on a pail of water. You know, no initial cost — it’s in the ground. In those days, they were almost doing what you’d call surface mining for oil. It didn’t go deep. So in order to get the price up, they had the idea to make it appear scarce. Like, “After we take the next few barrels out, we’ll probably have to close the well,” that kind of thing.

Philippe: So that’s the conspiracy behind it.

Gab: Yeah.

Philippe: How much is gasoline lately, per liter? As of February 19?

Gab: I’m not sure, but I think it’s increasing by a few.

Philippe: For sure. For sure. At walang rollback. Wala pong rollback. Naabangan ka rin. Pero sad case, we have no control over oil or resources like this because we don’t have our own oil. But if you think about it, what this guy was saying is that they’ve been trying to make it seem scarce for decades. Under the optics, they try to make it look like it’s limited.

But in reality, it’s not. So that’s the conspiracy behind it. What do you think? Do you think it’s real? Do you try to make a product scarce? Because what this guy is saying is, you’re putting a price on water, even if there’s water all over the world.

Yeah, right? What do you think?

Gab: I think the country is really vulnerable in times like this. For example, it’s vulnerable to climate change, to experiencing typhoons, and at the same time, extreme heat. Wala talaga akong masabi regarding the extreme heat. Pero I think burning these fuels increases emissions and worsens global warming. So for this kind of theory, I agree with them. I agree with the video. I really agree with it.

Philippe: I think the consumption of fossil fuels is real and it’s affecting our environment. It’s affecting us humans because of all the fumes and byproducts of oil.

Everything we have right now is related to oil. People think, oh, fossil fuels — gasolina. No. Actually, when fossil fuels are processed, they become gasoline, diesel. That’s why we have all these unleaded, premium, regular, and diesel types. But oil has a lot of other byproducts.

It’s used in lubricants. It’s used in engine oil. But not everything is in the automotive industry. A lot is used in industrial factories, especially retail products. People just aren’t aware. Oil is used in a lot of retail products. I can’t mention a few, but there’s a bunch out there. Go to the grocery store — you won’t find “odorless oil,” but look at the plastics, the packaging. Many of those are byproducts of oil.

That’s why a lot of plastics can’t be recycled — most plastics have oil in them. I’m not talking about oil like the liquid; I’m talking about the elements, the chemical bonds of oil. It’s in the plastics. That’s why we try to use paper bags and eco-friendly stuff. Like in Starbucks — the cups, the tissue — they’re brown, recycled.

They’re not from toilet paper, but they’re still made of paper. Still, many are made of oil-based materials. Oil’s chemical bonds are so strong they can be used in so many things — number one, lubricants. We use lubricants everywhere, we just don’t notice. But again, let’s go back: how are citizens relying on oil?

From what I remember, ten years ago — how much was gasoline per liter? Maybe 30 pesos?

Late 20s to 30s. At that time, people were already complaining that gasoline was expensive, right?

Gab: But it wasn’t even at its peak.

Philippe: They felt like it was already high. I bet you, another five years, same thing — they’ll still complain. There will never be a time when people are happy about gasoline prices. Not until we fully shift to electric.

Electric is drastic. It’s expensive. It’s not practical yet.

But guess what? Before I say this — we’re not sponsored by BYD. We’re not talking about a BYD car… but maybe they could sponsor us in our next episodes. BYD came up with a great idea to sell hybrid cars. Okay, okay, it’s not new. Hybrid cars have been around. Before BYD, Toyota was the one — Prius, Camry, RAV4 hybrids. Do you know how those hybrids worked?

They’re gasoline-priority. That means a hybrid, half-electric, half-combustion — when you start it, it still consumes gasoline. It runs on electric up to 40 km/h. Beyond that, it switches to gasoline. Below 40, in subdivisions, it’s electric.

That’s eco-mode. That’s where you save. But if you do a lot of highway driving — NLEX, SLEX — that’s all gasoline. Now with BYD’s hybrid, it’s electric-priority. Full-on electric. When you use it, no matter the speed, it runs on electric until you hit the range limit. When you run out of electric range, it switches to gasoline.

What’s the catch?

The range is short — 50 kilometers. So if you exceed that, it switches to gasoline. But for city driving, like us — home, university, podcast — I don’t think you’d hit 50 km in a day.

Gab: Yeah, I won’t.

Philippe: So you charge at night, next day you get another 50 km. You barely use gasoline. A BYD sales agent told me they did a study: full tank, after one month, only 0.01 liter was consumed — just from idling. Because it was mostly running on electricity.

But when you’re out of 50 km, it switches to the combustion engine. It’s safe for out-of-town trips. Go to Baguio? After 50 km, gasoline all the way. That’s the beauty of BYD — and it’s affordable. Before, hybrids were 2 to 3 million. Prius was 2.5 million brand new. Now? Sub-1 million. The Seal 5 sedan — I saw it in person. I didn’t test drive, but the agent’s explanation sounded great.

Practical, right?

Yeah. I drive a small car. One week, 2,000 pesos for full tank. Monthly, around 8,000 to 10,000 pesos. With the BYD hybrid — one full tank, and just 0.01 liter reduction after one month of city driving. Let’s talk electricity: charging at home is around 100 pesos a day. That’s 3,000 per month. Add the full tank cost, say 2,000 — that’s 5,000 total. Still cheaper than 8,000–10,000.

So you’re already at electric levels. But people are scared — new company, China, battery replacement issues. For people with only one car, it’s risky. What if it breaks? Or you can’t recharge when you’re out? Charging stations are still limited — mostly in malls. But there are perks: no coding, even for hybrids.

Gab: Not everyone’s willing to risk it though.

Philippe: True. But if your family has multiple cars, you can try it. If it breaks, you have another one. But if it’s your only car, people won’t risk it. Still, electric cars are increasing. I saw one yesterday — Kiwi EV. Cute little car. I’ll send it to our group chat. Check out how it looks — futuristic. I saw four people inside. We’re really entering the future.

So we’ve got a minute left.

I think I’m getting a BYD sooner or later. I’ll test it.

That’s good. How much again?

Gab: Around 986k — same price range as a Vios. Top of the line.

Philippe: Where is it? Sub 1? 986? It’s priced like a Vios. It’s top of the line. Top of the line BYD Seal 5 — fully loaded. Fully loaded? Leather seats, all that?

Gab: Yes. Leather seats, touchscreen, 360 camera, sunroof, everything. So you’re basically paying for something fully electric, hybrid, and tech-loaded — for the price of a regular car. That’s game-changing.

Philippe: It is. That’s why I was really amazed when I saw it. I said, if we’re going to push for sustainability, this could be it. And it makes you feel less guilty about using a car.

For me, oil is still dominating the market, and there’s still manipulation behind the scenes — scarcity, pricing, whatever. But at least we’re seeing companies innovating and offering sustainable alternatives. Yeah, and as consumers, we need to be aware. Not just of the price of gas, but the systems behind it — and our choices moving forward.

Philippe: Alright, that’s a wrap for today’s episode. Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and leave us a rating. Catch you guys next time!