EV GOT IT ALL FOR YOU
SM Supermalls launches public Electric Vehicle charging stations
In a historic moment for the Philippine motoring landscape, SM Supermalls launched the first ever in-mall free charging stations in the Philippines for e-Vehicles (EV) at select SM malls as part of its efforts to create a safer, greener future for all. This coincided with the recently passed Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) or Republic Act 11697. The free EV charging stations were simultaneously launched today at SM Aura in Taguig City, SM North Edsa in Quezon City, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, and SM Megamall in Mandaluyong.
PGA Cars provided the EV car displays at the official launch event in SM Aura with a Porsche Taycan and Audi E-Tron units.
This initiative is part of SM Supermall’s push to support technological innovations for a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
“SM Supermalls will remain true to our promise of creating a safe malling experience for our mallgoers, and part of that commitment is building a greener environment for everyone. We will always strive to ramp up our efforts to give back to our communities through our innovative projects in driving sustainability in our 79 malls nationwide. We want to urge everyone to consider more sustainable options in their everyday life, and shifting to e-Vehicles is a giant leap towards a greener future for all of us,” SM Supermalls president Steven T. Tan said.
The in-mall charging stations is situated located in SM Aura B1 Parking, SM Mall of Asia 3rd Level North Parking Building, SM Megamall B1 Parking Mega Fashion Hall, and SM North Edsa 3rd Level North Parking Tower. There are two Wallbox Pulsar Plus 7.4KW AC chargers in each mall, the slots reserved exclusively for EVs.
These EV chargers support e-Vehicle brands such as Audi, BMW, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, Nissan and Hyundai, among others. As SM Supermalls sees increased EV usage into their malls, more charging stations per mall will be added.
The launch of the EV charging stations in the premier SM malls is a product of SM Supermalls’ continuous partnership with the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Science and Technology, and Department of Trade and Industry in assisting the government accelerate its renewable energy and sustainability initiatives.
“SM Supermalls will continue our staunch support of the government’s new EV law and the National Renewable Energy Program to promote a more eco-friendly society for all Filipinos. We remain steadfast in our goal of increasing our share of renewable energy sources by 50 percent by the end of 2022,” Tan said.
E-vehicles are true zero emission vehicles that use electric motors instead of internal combustion engines that require fossil fuels such as gasoline or diesel to combust, creating harmful exhaust emissions which are known to cause debilitating disease in the long-term and harm our environment. As of 2020, there are 12,965 registered EVs in the Philippines. SM Supermalls is one of the first mall chains to establish in-mall e-Vehicle charging sites in the country. In an ever changing world still very much reliant on highly volatile fuel prices, this initiative to create an EV charging network from the private sector is a welcome sign that electrification is upon us and a paradigm shift in the mobility landscape is slowly happening.
SM Supermalls is the first mall chain to establish in-mall e-Vehicle charging sites in the country that is open to the public, and as mentioned previously, free to use by anyone with an electric vehicle. In 2018, SM North Edsa inaugurated its first EV charging station to service electric public transport routes and most recently these EV chargers have been updated.
SM plans to install more EV charging stations in SM Tagaytay, SM Baguio and SM Clark within 2022 to really make EV ownership a viable and less worrisome endeavor for the average Filipino.