A NUMBER of electric vehicles (EVs) take centerstage in major thoroughfares in Metro Manila this weekend in an effort to push awareness regarding the use of EVs in the country.
The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) will spearhead the first EV eco-run in the country, aptly called “Accelerating the Switch to EV Charging,” which will happen on Saturday, November 6, 2021.
The on-ground event will be mounted with the support of the association’s sub-group, EV Owners Society (EVOS), a startup community of EV owners in the country that was established in January 2021.
“Accelerating the Switch to EV Charging” will gather registered participants who are EV owners in Metro Manila and nearby areas for a driving tour aimed at demonstrating support to a proposed legislation to help promote the use of EVs in the country.
The activity is also in line with the ongoing 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), wherein EVAP and the country are participating in. COP26—which commenced on October 31 and will last until November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland—gathers parties from across the globe to “accelerate action towards the goals” of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change.
“EVAP is unrelentingly spearheading the push towards the use of EVs so the country could do its part in the rising international drive towards a greener planet,” said EVAP President Edmund Araga. “In our little way, we aim to stage a show of force to gain the backing of our honorable legislators so we could earn a major milestone in our proposed switch to air pollution-free and energy-efficient EVs.”
Event participants will drive along assigned routes to complete required activities. There will be two loops that they can take—North Loop (40kph speed) running from the Land Rover site in San Juan City going to UNIOIL EDSA Guadalupe station-DOE Ave; South Loop (15kph speed) starting from Nissan Pasong Tamo Extension in Makati City site going to BYD (southwest corner Buendia/Dian St.) Nissan Otis, and ending in UNIOIL Guadalupe station-DOE Avenue.
There will be checkpoints assigned per station where participants are required to submit activity passports containing information from the registration form and a list of EV charging stations. Those shall be stamped or signed by marshals per station. Participants are also required to have their photos taken while holding plaque cards and picking a prize.
The eco-run is set to begin at any of the loops at 8 a.m. The time starts when a participant enters a station. All stations in a loop shall be completed along with the designated stamps/signatures in the activity passport (ideally 3 minutes per station for the physical activities).
All participants will then meet up at Ford BGC at 10 a.m. for awarding and snacks.