MANILA — At the World Trade Center from May 21 to 23, 2026, delegates from across the globe sampled Philippine food and explored sustainability solutions. Between the exhibition halls, they moved in something equally worth their attention: a fleet of FMC Kidlat full‑electric low‑roof vans, designed and built by Francisco Motors Corporation. The Kidlat served as the sole official transportation partner for both the International Food Exhibition Philippines and the co‑located Sustainability Solutions Exchange.
Chairman Elmer Francisco has long insisted that his vehicles belong on the world stage. "I want people to experience our very own electric vehicles and see for themselves that we are at par with other foreign brands," he said when the partnership with CITEM was announced. At IFEX, that ambition was tested. Associates Bea, Jerome, Jet, and the rest of the Francisco Motors team manned the vans, shuttling delegates, buyers, and organizers through the Pasay City venue. The Kidlat, named after the Filipino word for lightning, was not a distant prototype. It was on the road, working.
A Jeepney Pioneer Reborn for the Electric Century
Francisco Motors was founded in 1947 by Jorge Francisco and his brothers, who turned surplus World War II jeeps into the first jeepneys, creating what would become the most recognizable symbol of Philippine public transport. Nearly eight decades later, the company is engineering an electric future. The Kidlat seats 15 passengers, runs on a lithium iron phosphate battery with a 250‑kilometer range, and can charge from 20 to 80 percent in roughly 30 minutes. A high‑roof variant, the Kidlat+, adds headroom for commercial and cargo use.
President and CEO Dominic Francisco, who at just 20 has become the face of the company's generational shift, described the mission in terms of national pride. He said the company aims to demonstrate what Filipino scientists, engineers, artisans, and builders can accomplish, developing vehicles that are innovative, durable, and climate‑resilient. The younger Francisco, a sustainability student at Enderun Colleges, has anchored the brand's messaging on climate action and social equity, arguing that modernization must be done correctly to avoid leaving operators drowning in debt.
A Filipino EV That Already Moves on Global Roads
The Kidlat is not confined to Philippine show floors. Francisco Motors has secured export deals spanning 14 countries, from Nigeria, where electric jeepneys and hydrogen‑powered tricycles are being deployed, to markets in Southeast Asia and the Americas. The company's Elektron electric crossover—teased in early May 2026—is already beyond the prototyping stage, with a target range exceeding 600 kilometers per charge. A 10,000‑unit government fleet rollout has been proposed to accelerate adoption.
The partnership with CITEM positions the Kidlat as the ambassador for Filipino industrial capability. At IFEX and SSX, where sustainable food systems and green innovation converged, the van that shuttled delegates between meetings was itself a statement. It ran silently. It burned no fuel. And it carried a name—Kidlat—that belongs entirely to the Philippines. For the global buyers who stepped out of the van and walked into the exhibition halls, the message was impossible to miss: the future of mobility is being built here, by Filipino hands, and it is already on the road.
A Booth You Can Still Visit Tomorrow
The Kidlat's work is not finished. Immediately after IFEX, Francisco Motors rolled the high‑roof Kidlat+ into the SMX Convention Center for Tatak Pinoy, the Department of Trade and Industry's flagship showcase of proudly Filipino products. The company has a booth open from May 25 to 27, 2026—with free admission—where visitors can see the full‑electric van up close. "People were asking, 'Where are the Storm Troopers?'" Chairman Elmer Francisco posted on Facebook, a playful nod to the sleek, futuristic lines of the Kidlat+ that have drawn comparisons to science‑fiction vehicles. The joke captures something genuine: when Filipinos encounter the Kidlat, they expect a foreign brand. They are surprised to discover it is entirely Filipino. Tomorrow, May 27, is the last day to walk through the SMX doors, find the Francisco Motors booth, and see for yourself what the country's oldest jeepney maker has built for the electric century.
