3rd Electric Vehicle Summit now more relevant in the wake of Yolanda and climate change effects

 

Manila, Philippines - It is all systems go for the 3^rd Electric Vehicle Summit at the Multipurpose Hall of Meralco, Pasig City on February 27-28, 2014. The summit was originally scheduled on November 28-29, 2013 but was reset due to the devastation then brought by Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas that necessitated the urgent attention of government agencies on relief operations.

Rommel Juan, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (eVAP), one of the organizers, said that the EV Summit has now become more relevant in the light of the recent effects of Typhoon Yolanda. “Now, people are more conscious of the negative effects that can be brought upon by our neglect in preserving the environment thus resulting in global warming and climate change. Thus this year, even major auto shows abroad have prominently featured electric vehicles and other forms of alternative fuel vehicles”, he adds.

eVAP now boasts of 56 active members, 27 of whom are corporate members. It is part of the lead organizing group Electric Vehicle Alliance consisting of Meralco and various like-minded NGOs such as Partnership for Clean Air (PCA), Clean Air initiative Asia and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC). 

In a press statement, eVAP said that the EV Summit aims to strengthen government and private sector cooperation towards mainstreaming the EV ecosystem. “This is expected to attract over 500 participants that include major EV players from Asia and the Philippines. We brought them together so that major issues and concerns hampering the growth of the EV industry can be discussed and in the process, partnerships could be developed. Also in attendance will be EV parts manufacturers and assemblers, key officials of government agencies, heads of LGUs and academic institutions and even NGO partners for clean air”.

Juan adds that the EV Summit has also been successful in bringing together EV industry players from the region into the Philippines. “Our local EV players were able to forge relations with foreign EV companies from Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Their collaborations have made it easier for these partnerships to participate in high-ticket projects like the DOE-ADB Electric Tricycle Program. Thanks in no small measure to eVAP”.

The EV Summit will feature a trade fair where foreign and local EV parts manufacturers will display their latest products. TECO of Taiwan, partner of local EV pioneer PhUV Inc., will unveil their locally-assembled electric tricycle. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation will launch their electric version of the Outlander.

“The Philippines will be at the center of the world EV stage in February as we plan what we hope will be the biggest and most meaningful Electric Vehicle Summit in the Philippines. And we hope that the Summit will catapult the fledgling industry into the mainstream sooner than later”, Juan says.

“The Philippines is now on the verge of an EV tipping point where all the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. Once they all come together, the Philippines may finally be the EV manufacturing hub of the region. But first, we need to put the right business environment in place. This we hope to iron out during the forthcoming EV Summit”, he concludes.

Photo taken during the 2^nd Electric Vehicle Summit. Photo of MVP and Chairman Tolentino, inside the pleneray hall during the 1st day of Summit.

Photo of Electric Vehicle on display at the Exhibit area (E-Quad) during the 2^nd Electric Vehicle Summit.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE ALLIANCE PLANS 3RD ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUMMIT

The Electric Vehicle Alliance, the group that organized the hugely successful first two editions of the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, is now gearing up for the third one. This will be held at the Meralco Multipurpose Hall at Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City from November 28-29, 2013.

The group EVA is composed of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), Meralco, Clean Air Initiative Asia (CAI Asia) and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC). EVAP President Rommel Juan said that the theme for the third EV Summit will be: “Mainstreaming the Electric Vehicle Ecosystem.”

“We will be bringing together the top EV players in the country such as assemblers, importers, suppliers, distributors and enthusiasts with those of other countries in the region. Hopefully, we can learn from their best practices and they from us. There have been so many developments in the EV industry in both the domestic and international fronts lately, that there is a need to showcase to the general public that the ecosystem needed to run electric vehicles is already being built,” he says.

Juan notes that investments have continued to pour into the country in the EV industry, with Taiwan, Japan, Korean and Chinese companies on the lookout for local partners and opportunities.  Three top carmakers are likewise looking at bringing in their electric cars to the country, with one of them introducing a new model during the Summit.  "There is no denying the EV industry is here to stay, even if it is just in its infancy in the Philippines. Some analysts even predict that by 2020, about 15% of vehicles sold worldwide will be electric vehicles, and I think we can dream the same for the Philippines.”

The 3rd Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit will feature the most active local EV manufacturers, importers, suppliers, operators and dealers. “We also wish to discuss the most pertinent EV issues of today thus we have also invited representatives from the government sector and the academe,” he adds.

Philippine Utility Vehicle, Inc. (PhUV), the country’s pioneer in local EV manufacturing and assembly, will also display their newest models of ETrikes and EJeepneys. The company which recently secured its pioneering status registration from the BOI allowing it to have a package of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives such as income tax holiday and duty-free importation, announced that it will soon get into mainstream local mass production and assembly of EVs in the country with a new plant in Cavite.