Electric vehicle group announces online edition of PH Electric Vehicle Summit

One of the electric vehicles displayed in the summit in 2018

How is the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the electric vehicle adoption in the country? The challenges and opportunities brought about by the new normal will serve as the focus of the 8th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS).

This year, the three-day annual conference will be facilitated online as the main organizer, the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) signs up virtual training and consulting firm Olern as a new partner, tapping its expertise in eLearning and online event staging.

With the theme ‘Moving Forward to an Electrified Mobility in the New Normal,’ the 8th edition of PEVS (also its first online) will also take a closer look at the impact of the new normal to the supply and demand side of the electric vehicle (EV) market.

During a virtual press conference, EVAP President Edmund Araga emphasized that the prospects continue to be bright for the EV market despite the pandemic. “According to the International Energy Agency forecast, global sales will rise 6% this year to 2.3 million vehicles before exploding to 45 million by 2030,” he said.

“How the current crisis affects the pace of the electromobility shift in the longer term will hinge critically on the public policy response,” Araga continued.

 

Monitoring EV legislations

The local EV industry players are also eagerly looking forward to the passage of the proposed Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations Act in Congress. The bill is aimed at further promoting and adopting EVs in the country. Under this legislative proposal, private and public buildings and establishments shall be required to allot parking slots with charging stations (installed by charging station service providers).

Under the same proposed law, which is now lodged in the Senate and House Committees on Energy, gasoline stations will also be required to designate space for charging stations as well. Large industrial and commercial companies, public transport operators, and government agencies and instrumentalities will also be mandated to allocate at least 5% of their logistics or transport fleets into EVs.

 

Updates on EV innovations

The 8th PEVS is also aimed at bringing together stakeholders, policymakers, regulators, the academe, consultants, transport firms, utilities, and end-users to an exchange of experiences and research results on all aspects of EV and supporting infrastructure. It will also serve as 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.

Aside from EVAP, its partner Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and event sponsors Mitsubishi Motors Philippines and Nissan Philippines will also provide more insights about the current state of the local EV market ad technology adoption.

“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,” said Meralco Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Raymond Ravelo. “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.”

Decade-long advocacy

The 8th PEVS will also mark the 10th year since the collective local EV movement was formally established through the incorporation of EVAP. The online event will commemorate as well the first decade of the group’s advocacy for green transport (with the first PEVS in 2010) and the first decade since the industry banded together to push for a law granting incentives to the EV industry.

The 8th PEVS will be held from September 24 to 26, 2020. It will be moderated by EVAP Executive Director Dr. Jose Bienvenido Manuel Biona. Representatives from the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will also be present.


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