Manila,
Philippines - It is all systems go for the Electric Vehicle Summit 2013 at the
Multipurpose Hall of Meralco, Pasig City on February 27-28, 2014. The summit
was originally scheduled on November 28-29, 2013 but was reset due to the
devastation then brought by Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas that necessitated
the urgent attention of government agencies on relief operations.
Rommel
Juan, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (eVAP),
one of the organizers, said that the EV Summit has now become more relevant in
the light of the recent effects of Typhoon Yolanda. “Now, people are more
conscious of the negative effects that can be brought upon by our neglect in
preserving the environment thus resulting in global warming and climate change.
Thus this year, even major auto shows abroad have prominently featured electric
vehicles and other forms of alternative fuel vehicles”, he adds.
eVAP
now boasts of 56 active members, 27 of whom are corporate members. It is part
of the lead organizing group Electric Vehicle Alliance consisting of Meralco
and various like-minded NGOs such as Partnership for Clean Air (PCA), Clean Air
initiative Asia and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities
(ICSC).
In
a press statement, eVAP said that the EV Summit aims to strengthen government
and private sector cooperation towards mainstreaming the EV ecosystem. “This is
expected to attract over 500 participants that include major EV players from
Asia and the Philippines. We brought them together so that major issues and
concerns hampering the growth of the EV industry can be discussed and in the
process, partnerships could be developed. Also in attendance will be EV parts
manufacturers and assemblers, key officials of government agencies, heads of
LGUs and academic institutions and even NGO partners for clean air”.
Juan
adds that the EV Summit has also been successful in bringing together EV
industry players from the region into the Philippines. “Our local EV players
were able to forge relations with foreign EV companies from Taiwan, Japan and
Korea. Their collaborations have made it easier for these partnerships to
participate in high-ticket projects like the DOE-ADB Electric Tricycle Program.
Thanks in no small measure to eVAP”.
The
EV Summit will feature a trade fair where foreign and local EV parts
manufacturers will display their latest products. TECO of Taiwan, partner of
local EV pioneer PhUV Inc., will unveil their locally-assembled electric
tricycle. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation will launch their electric
version of the Outlander.
“The Philippines will be at the center of the world EV stage in February as we plan what we hope will be the biggest and most meaningful Electric Vehicle Summit in the Philippines. And we hope that the Summit will catapult the fledgling industry into the mainstream sooner than later”, Juan says.
“The
Philippines is now on the verge of an EV tipping point where all the pieces of
the puzzle are falling into place. Once they all come together, the Philippines
may finally be the EV manufacturing hub of the region. But first, we need to
put the right business environment in place. This we hope to iron out during
the forthcoming EV Summit”, he concludes.
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