PH is poised to become e-vehicle hub in ASEAN

Domestic electric vehicle (e-vehicle) players said the huge replacement vehicle market in the country will help them attain economies of scale and make the Philippines a manufacturing hub in ASEAN.

Rommel Juan, president of Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), said as they prepare for the first ever ASEAN Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Summit on June 29 to 30, 2017 at the World Trade Center. The event is being co-organized with the Board of Investments (BOI) and Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

Juan said that among ASEAN countries, the Philippines probably has the most potential for electric vehicles especially for public transport applications such as jeepneys and tricycles.

“We can see that once electric vehicles move to the mainstream level in the Philippine mass transport system, we will be looking at supplying the replacement vehicles market of 350,000 diesel-fueled jeepneys and 1.2 million gas-fed tricycles,” said Juan.

With a large production volume, Juan said EVAP can then have the economies of scale to become the manufacturing hub for electric vehicle and parts in the ASEAN region.

“This we hope will then open up the ASEAN region as the staging point for subsequently exporting to the other parts of the globe,” he said.

“The business opportunities lie in the need to modernize the aging and ailing mass transport system and electric jeepneys and electric tricycles are the more viable options.”

EVAP VP Edmund Araga also revealed that EVAP is now closely coordinating with its ASEAN counterparts in order to get the key players in the region to participate in the summit.

He said they are inviting its ASEAN counterparts to the summit, for them to exhibit their latest products and technologies and to share their best practices with us.

“It is the perfect opportunity for us in the ASEAN to unite and promote EV applications so that together, we can make a better and cleaner world for the next generation,” he added.

BOI Executive Director Corieh Dichosa and the ASEAN National Organizing Committee, details were finalized on how best the event can be successful and synch with the other ASEAN activities for the year.

“We hope that the event will help spread the electric and hybrid vehicles initiative in the ASEAN region and eventually, the world with the Philippines as the focal point,” said Dichosa.