A virtual pre-event Press Conference recently took place for the 8th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) themed: “MOVING FORWARD TO AN ELECTRIFIED MOBILITY IN THE NEW NORMAL”.
Joining the virtual presscon are the EV Summit Steering Committee members composed of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) and Manila Electric Company and event sponsors Mitsubishi Motors Philippines and Nissan Philippines. Also present were representatives from the Department of Energy, Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Transportation (DoTr). The event will be moderated by Dr. Jose Bienvenido Manuel M. Biona, EVAP Executive Director.
The 8th PEVS is a groundbreaking three (3) day virtual conference scheduled on September 24-26, 2020 focusing on electric vehicle adoption and the challenges and opportunities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic on both the supply and demand side of the EV market. EVAP has partnered with Olern, a leading training and consulting company specializing in eLearning platforms, in staging the event.
“EV prospects continue to be bright despite the pandemic. According to International Energy Agency forecast, global sales will rise 6% this year to 2.3 million vehicles before exploding to 45 million by 2030,” EVAP president Edmund Araga said.
Mr. Araga further cited the IEA report which states that: “How the current crisis affects the pace of the electromobility shift in the longer term will hinge critically on the public policy response.”
He said that the EV industry players in the Philippines are eagerly looking forward to the immediate passage of the Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations Act to further promote and adopt electric vehicles (EV) in the country. The measure seeks to require private and public buildings and establishments to have dedicated parking slots with charging stations, installed by charging station service providers, and for gasoline stations to have a dedicated space for charging stations as well. It also mandates large industrial and commercial companies, public transport operators, and government agencies and instrumentalities to adopt a minimum 5% share electric vehicles (EVs) within their respective fleets.
The Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations Act is among the legislative priorities of both the Senate and House Committees on Energy.
“As we recover safely from this pandemic and reopen our businesses, along the way, the crisis is shedding light on questions and concerns about mobility, road infrastructure, and urban transport. Our collective over-dependence on fossil fuels has been a major challenge to carving out more public policy space for transportation options and ultimately to improving and cleaning up our urban air. But now, as we have all been forced to change our behaviors so radically, we have a distinctive opportunity to adopt new behaviors as we slowly get back to what will hopefully be a better normal,” Meralco Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Raymond Ravelo said.
The 8th PEVS aims to bring together stakeholders across the EV value chain as well as policymakers, regulators, academe, consultants, transport companies, utilities and end users to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of electric vehicles and supporting infrastructure. It also provides an online platform to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the area of electrified mobility.
This event is a celebration of milestones as it marks the first 10 years since the formal establishment of a collective Philippine electric vehicle movement through the incorporation of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP). This event also commemorates a decade of advocating green transport with the staging of the first Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit in 2010 as well as the 10th year since the industry banded together to push for legislation granting incentives for the electric vehicle industry.
Mr. Araga also discussed the line-up of topics for the 8th PEVS which include:
- 2020 Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook by Frost & Sullivan
- Developing Public Charging Infrastructure in Response to the New Normal
- Challenges to EV Charging in Southeast Asia
- Recovery, Reopening and Role of EVs under the New Normal
- Policy Measures to See More EVs on the Ground Post Pandemic
- Promotion of Low Carbon Urban Transport in the Philippines
- Policy Dialogue with LTO: Revisiting EV Guidelines
