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.