8th PH Electric Vehicle Summit to espouse wider adoption of electrified mobility in new normal

MANILA: An online pre-event press conference was conducted today on the 8^th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) with the theme “Moving Forward to an Electrified Mobility in the New Normal.”

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Summit Steering Committee members comprised of the Manila Electric Company and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) joined the virtual press conference along with event sponsors, Nissan Philippines and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines.

Representatives from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Energy (DOE) were also present, with EVAP Executive Director Dr. Jose Bienvenido Manuel M. Biona as the moderator of the event.

The 8^th PEVS is an innovative three-day online conference scheduled from September 24 to 26. It will focus on the wider adoption of EVs as well as the opportunities and challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses on the supply-and-demand aspect of the EV industry.

This event serves as a celebration of achievements as it marks the first decade since the official launch of a collective Philippine Electric Vehicle movement through the integration of the EVAP.

It also commemorates a decade of promoting green mobility with the adoption of the first Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit in 2010. It is also the 10th year since the sector joined together to lobby for legislation that would offer incentives for the EV industry.

EVAP has collaborated with Olern, a primary training and consulting firm that focuses on e-learning platforms, to stage the event.

The main goal of the 8^th PEVS is for stakeholders across the EV value chain to come together, along with end users, utilities, transport companies, consultants, academe, regulators, and policymakers to share and exchange research outcomes and experiences on all areas of EVs and supporting infrastructure.

It also offers an online platform to demonstrate and talk about the current concerns, trends, and advancements, along with technical problems faced as well as the approaches embraced in the field of electrified mobility.

EVAP President Edmund Araga said, “EV prospects continue to be bright despite the pandemic. According to International Energy Agency forecast, global sales will rise 6% this year to 2.3 million vehicles before exploding to 45 million by 2030.”

Araga cited the IEA report stating, “How the current crisis affects the pace of the electromobility shift in the longer term will hinge critically on the public policy response.”

He explained that the EV industry players in the country are looking forward to the prompt introduction of the Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations Act to further encourage and adopt electric mobility in the country. This act is one of the main priorities of the House Committees on Energy and the Senate.

The measure aims to allow public and private buildings as well as facilities to have designated parking spaces with charging stations, placed by charging station service providers, and to have a specific spot for both gasoline and charging stations.

It also instructs large commercial and industrial firms, instrumentalities, government agencies, and public transport operators to implement a minimum of 5% share of EVs within their fleets.

Meralco Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Raymond Ravelo explained, “As we recover safely from this pandemic and reopen our businesses, along the way, the crisis is shedding light on questions and concerns about mobility, road infrastructure, and urban transport. Our collective over-dependence on fossil fuels has been a major challenge to carving out more public policy space for transportation options and ultimately to improving and cleaning up our urban air. But now, as we have all been forced to change our behaviors so radically, we have a distinctive opportunity to adopt new behaviors as we slowly get back to what will hopefully be a better normal.”

Photos from the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP)

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