Electric Vehicle Alliance plans 4th Electric Vehicle Summit

The Electric Vehicle Alliance, the group that organized the hugely successful first three editions of the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, is now gearing up for the fourth one. This will be held at the Meralco Multipurpose Hall at Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City from February 26-27, 2015.

Electric Vehicle Alliance is composed of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), Meralco and Clean Air Initiative Asia (CAI Asia). EVAP President Rommel Juan said that for this year’ EV Summit, EVA has aptly chosen as its theme: “Sustaining the gains in Philippine electric vehicle development.”

He reveals that the EV Summit will offer business professionals and vehicle industry experts the opportunity to learn the latest advances in EV technology, network with colleagues both here and abroad and exchange ideas regarding electric vehicle technology and sustainable mobility. “We also expect some business partnerships to be forged between foreign and local EV players during this event.”

“We will review the contributions that EVs have made and continue to make toward healthier living spaces by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We will likewise seek to bring together relevant stakeholders from vehicle parts and components, manufacturing, assemblers, information and communications systems companies, energy companies, electric utilities, systems integrators as well as representatives from government and academia. We hope to share ideas, to collaborate, and to co-develop initiatives for making sustainable mobility a reality.”

Juan is happy to note that foreign investments in joint venture with local EV players have taken off the ground. “Several local manufacturing facilities of electric tricycles are in place

and off-site charging stations have been set up. Many institutions have adopted the use of EJeepneys for mass transport applications such as the Eco Loop in Filinvest Alabang, the DLSU EJeepney Ikot at its Dasmarinas campus and Ateneo’s EJeepney system with a dedicated charging station put up by Meralco inside Ateneo’s Katipunan campus.”

With these gains that they will sustain, Juan says EVA hopes that more foreign investments will continue to pour into the local EV industry and in the very near future, make the Philippines the EV manufacturing hub in the region. “Some foreign EV investors are on the lookout for local partners, especially in the manufacturing and assembly sectors and we just need to show them that we can do it.”

For inquiries about the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit 2015, please contact the EVAP Secretariat at 9307003, text 09239432073 or email secretariat.evap@gmail.com or you may check out the EVAP website and Facebook page for more details.

BINALOT GOES VISAYAN

For the Lenten season, Binalot has chosen favorite dishes from the Visayas region: Bangus Sinugba, Kinilaw and Laswa. Healthy favorites from the South will be offered at selected Binalot branches starting Feb 18, Ash Wednesday and throughout the Lenten Season.

Sinugba means “grilled”, Kilaw means “vinegared” and Laswa means boiled vegetables. The bangus sinugba is filled with chopped onions and tomatoes and then slowly grilled to a nice finish. Healthy not only for the body but also good for the soul.

Binalot recently celebrated its 18 years in the business and recently signed up a foreign franchise for Dubai, UAE. Binalot was founded by Rommel Juan and his friends in 1996 when they realized there were no real Pinoy options for dining that was fresh and portable using eco-friendly packaging.

Binalot now has 45 branches all over the country, all serving Filipino food favorites in its trademarked wrapper of banana leaves, naturally preserving the food’s freshness. It now also offers Franchising options with a number of pre-approved sites for the interested applicants. You can visit www.binalot.com for more information. Find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, too.

KINILAW NA ISDA- The freshest fish marinated in Pinoy vinegar and Ilocos onions and garnished with red hot peppers. A favorite of our Visayan brothers, now at a Binalot near you! Perfect for the Lenten season.

LASWA- What could be healthier for body and soul but a fresh boiled vegetable medley of local greens and other Pinoy vegetables called Laswa. BINALOT offers this Visayan favorite to start its Lenten specials. Check www.binalot.com for the branch nearest you.

BANGUS SINUGBA- Our national fish is now available stuffed with chopped onions and tomatoes and grilled to a nice finish. Sinugba is the Visayan term for "grilled". Catch our Visayan specialties starting this Lenten season. Visit a BINALOT store nearest you. www.binalot.com. Find us in Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, too.

 

CAVITE INAUGURATES ETRIKE CHARGING STATIONS

The City of Bacoor in Cavite goes green with the inauguration of its second charging station for electric tricycles (Etrikes) last Friday, August 29, 2014 at the V Central Mall. The ceremonial ribbon cutting was graced by Mayor Stike Revilla and Cong. Lani Mercado-Revilla. This second charging station will be commercially operated by KEA Industrial Corporation, a local assembler of ETrikes with a manufacturing plant in Barangay Mambog IV, Bacoor City.

Edgardo Araga President of KEA Industies Inc. plugs in the KEA Electric Tricycle in Bacoor Cavite , during the launch of the very first commercial charging station in the Philippines. Looking on are (from L to R - Edmund Araga, KEA VP for Operations, Asst. Director Jesus  Anunciacion of DOE, EVAP President Rommel Juan, PHUV President Ferdi Raquelsantos and Arnold Sarmiento from Motolite

The very first ETrike charging station situated at McDonald’s St. Dominic was completed by KEA last May 2014, inaugurated last June 2014 and donated to the Bacoor City LGU. Under a memorandum of agreement with the City of Bacoor initiated by Mayor Strike Revilla, KEA has committed to build a network of seven strategically-located ETrike charging stations in Bacoor City, three of which will be donated to the city. The two other charging stations donated will soon be constructed, one at the old City Hall and another at the new City Hall.

Edgardo Araga, KEA President, said that on top of the ETrike charging station at the V Central Mall that it operates, KEA will also erect and operate three other charging stations at Jolibee Zapote-Kalinisan, SM City Bacoor and Mabolo 1. “These will all be completed within the next twelve months to provide the needed charging infrastructure to support the initial eight ETrikes that Bacoor City purchased from us. These ETrikes are now running around after it was delivered to Mayor Revilla last March 2014 in a ceremony witnessed by Congresswoman Lani Mercado-Revilla and the City Council members”.

Araga also explains that the entire domestic electric vehicle industry is elated with the inclusion of EV parts and components and charging stations in the 2014 Investments Priority Program of the Board of Investments. This will give program participants some fiscal and non-fiscal incentives if they invest in these sectors.

                     

KEA manufactures and sells two versions of the ETrike: the “Bailey” passenger model and the “Rhine” pickup type model for business application. “We started commercial production only exactly a year ago and now, we are proud to say that our ETrikes have been subjected to and have passed stringent endurance, performance and durability tests on actual commercial runs for over nine months. We are now in phase 2 of our drive to sell more ETrikes by putting up in advance the necessary infrastructure such as charging stations for the convenience of the ETrike operators. We hope that with the charging stations in place, more tricycle operators will soon shift to the environment-friendly, more economical ETrikes”, Araga concludes.

 

Edmund Araga, KEA VP for Operations, Mayor Strike Revilla and Congresswoman Lani Mercado-Revilla