Light at the end of the tunnel for EVadvocates in PH
Not too long ago, the local automotive industry spoke in hushed tones about the possibility of making electric vehicles (EVs) available in the Philippines.
That awkward silence was relayed to the motoring media. This writer would receive the occasional email from a curious reader or motorist asking the prospects of owning and maintaining an EV in this country, and all yours truly could reply was “keep your hopes up” or “ask the government to provide tax incentives on EVs so that their manufacturers would be encouraged to sell here.”
Nowadays, however, there is palpable excitement when EVs are discussed. Key industry players in the Asean economic region have shown sincere interest in such vehicles, as evidenced by the 1st Asean and Hybrid Vehicles Summit held June 2017 in Pasay City that was attended by over 600 foreign and local delegates and hundreds of visitors.
Yesterday, that keen interest in EVs continued to snowball at the start of the 6th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.
Wider EV collaboration
This time, the summit focused on areas of collaboration to drive wider EV adoption for public and private transport, as highlighted by the summit theme: “Stepping Up Partnerships To Electrify Public and Private Transport.”
Ferdinand Raquelsantos, chair of the EV Association of the Philippines (Evap), is among one of those pioneer EV advocates. He told INQUIRER Motoring, “There is so much development now on EVs. The Mitsubishi iMIEV and Nissan Leaf are coming soon. These manufacturers have tapped the academe to make a study to establish policies and programs in support of Battery EVs (BEVs) and Plug-in Hybrid EVs (PHEVs).”
He added: “I believe hybrid vehicles won’t be that popular in the future. Unioil is more proactive in continuously installing charging stations. Aboitiz announced a year ago that it would be installing charging stations at SM Malls and Shell stations, but this hasn’t materialized yet.”
He further analyzed that, “With the new design developments on batteries, the cost of EVs are going down. For the last 11 years, we have been assembling EVs mostly with lead acid batteries, but for the last couple of years we have been using more lithium-ion batteries.”
Partnerships as key
Meanwhile, Evap president Rommel Juan stressed that partnerships will be key in making EVs mainstream in the local motoring scene.
“By stepping up partnerships, we can electrify public and private transport much faster. Since we started our advocacy 10 years ago by building our first e-jeepney and establishing Evap, we feel that everything is falling into place now,” Juan said.
He added, “Government and business interests in electric transport is growing rapidly as costs associated with EVs begin to drop and charging infrastructure starts to expand. Even automotive giants such as Nissan and Mitsubishi are making a push by bringing their EV models to the Philippine market. Early this year, a regional survey conducted by Frost & Sullivan revealed that Filipinos are the most eager to buy EVs when they make their next purchase decision.”
To aid in the conversation, senior government officials and industry stakeholders across the value chain including vehicle OEMs, infrastructure providers, battery suppliers, and transport companies will be at the summit that focuses on electric mobility for both public and private transportation adoption.
6th PEVS
Organized by Evap, Manila Electric Company (Meralco), and Partnership for Clean Air (PCA), the 6th PEVS is being undertaken in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Trade (DTI), Department of Energy (DOE), Nissan Philippines Inc (NPI), and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp (MMPC).
NPI has been actively promoting EVs in the Philippines. On Sept. 6, 2017, it sent a group of Philippine motoring media to Japan to witness the launch of the re-designed, next-generation Nissan Leaf at Makuhari Messe. The Leaf has become the world’s bestselling EV since its introduction in 2010.
Nissan’s global director for EV business Nicholas Thomas will be at the summit today at the Nissan Leaf display at the SMX Convention Center to discuss what Nissan calls the brand’s smarter, safer, and sustainable mobility solutions for the future.
During the Manila International Auto Show last April 5 to 8, Hyundai Philippines showcased its hybrid sedan Ioniq 1.6 GLS 6DCT (6-speed dual clutch transmission), and announced that the vehicle would be locally available by November.
All out
EV manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD), despite not being an Evap member, has gone allout in the Philippines when it revealed last May 30 its roster of electric-powered vehicles to be made available here: the sky rail, buses, forklifts, and hybrid and full-EV cars.
Mark Andrew Tieng, BYD Philippines’ managing director, said during the launch, “With the TRAIN law, the leadership in Philippine government has recognized the benefits of electric cars and granted zero excise taxes for electric cars.”
In 2017, local EV maker EMotors Inc. (Emi) began providing three-wheeled ZuM passenger shuttles to staff, officers and tenants of the Net Park and Net Lima buildings of The Net Group (TNG at the Bonifacio Global City) in Taguig City.
Emi said that it initiated this move to help alleviate pollution, lower carbon footprints, as well as help create jobs and livelihood for both men and women drivers.
EMI partnered with The Net Group, which is touted as the country’s largest green office building developer.
EMI president Elizabeth H. Lee, whose advocacies include the environment and women empowerment, has been pushing for EMI’s social objectives aimed to address three major social issues: women’s welfare (wherein majority of the e-shuttle drivers are women), livelihood creation (wherein drivers get to earn a living that is less taxing, more enjoyable, and fulfilling), and environmental protection (limiting environmental degradation, pollution and supporting clean air efforts).
More support needed
Raquelsantos lamented: “In other countries, especially in Europe, EVs get a lot of support from their governments in terms of tax exemptions and rebates. Here, we just got exemptions from excise taxes, but we need more fiscal and non-fiscal support. We’ve been lobbying in Congress and the Senate for the last five years, but can’t seem to go through.”
He added: “A lot of carmakers have already declared their set future dates in terminating the production of ICE (internal combustion engines) in favor of EVs.”
Last May 23, 126 drivers of electric jeepneys and tricycles in and around Barangay Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa City attended a hands-on training on driving and maintaining e-jeepneys and e-trikes.
The training was conducted by Evap and the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc. to help prepare the barangay and its drivers for the government’s PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP).
LTFRB Board member lawyer Aileen Lizada encouraged the drivers to embrace the new EV technology and learn as much as they can during the seminar.
“We who are behind the PUVMP are glad that you see the need to prepare not only your barangay but more importantly yourselves for the full implementation of the program,” Lizada said.
Juan said of the program, “The PUVMP is in full swing and will soon launch its project to create an enabling environment for the commercialization of a low-carbon urban transport system in the Philippines. The adoption of electric cars in the Philippines for own use and for private commercial transport is inevitable, but the government and the private sector need to collaborate to put in place a clear policy, time frame and infrastructure to grow the sector.”