THE biggest annual conference that promotes the use of electric vehicles in the country will stage its second virtual summit in the new normal next month.
The two-day 9th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS), which carries the theme “Accelerating the Switch to Electro-Mobility in the Philippines,” will focus on fast-tracking electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the local transport sector in line with the government’s medium-term goal of attaining a low-carbon economy.
“We need to step up our efforts to achieve our goals for rapid EV deployment, and to do this, the government and private sector need to collectively reaffirm their commitment to do so,” said Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) President Edmund Araga during the virtual press conference held today to officially announce the holding of the summit.
“Among the highlights of the 9th PEVS will be the symbolic signing of the stakeholder Memorandum of Understanding, which is aimed at speeding up the switch to electro-mobility by 2025,” Araga added.
He said that the public can expect the reaffirmation of commitment from key representatives of government agencies, academe, and civil society in pushing for the transition to a sustainable transport system during the summit.
“There will also be discussions on charging stations by harmonizing policies and synergizing the implementation of existing policies, incentives and programs through better inter-agency coordination and on an ASEAN level, the coming up with a Memorandum of Agreement on EV program cooperation between Asian Federation of Electric Vehicle Associations (AFEVA) and the ASEAN Center for Energy (ACE),” Araga emphasized in his opening remarks.
“We will also expect on pushing EVs through research and innovations and through our members’ upcoming programs and platforms,” he added.
On the second day, competitiveness and value chain on battery manufacturing on a local market will also be discussed, including market opportunities through local government units’ programs, logistics and fleet operations on ecozone areas, plus financing options on how the government can drive financing institutions to provide financing for EV acquisition for private, commercial and public transport.
Currently, the government is working to attain the goals of its EV Industry Roadmap (2016-2024) as set by the Department of Trade and Industry – Board of Investments (DTI-BOI), which includes the provision of incentives to stakeholders involved in adoption of low-emission technologies.
Both chambers of Congress are also working to pass the Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations Act to boost consumer demand for EVs in the country and make them more affordable in the long run. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has also launched a public utility vehicle modernization program that will replace traditional vehicles for public transport with new and environmentally-friendly alternatives that comply with global standards, while the Land Transportation Office also recently released regulations on electric vehicle use in the country.
Key figures from the executive and legislative branches of government are expected to grace the summit’s opening, including Rep. Juan Miguel Macapagal-Arroyo, Chairman of the House Energy Committee, Department of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy.
Organized by the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), together with the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) and the Department of Energy (DOE), the summit will be held on August 26-27, 2021 via the online platform Zoom.