The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), together with the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) and in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) and Nissan Philippines Inc., is hosting the 10th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) set on October 20 and 21, 2022 at the SMX Convention Center Manila.
EVAP President Edmund Araga, citing the 2022 Global EV Outlook of the International Energy Agency said: “There has been a massive jump in EV adoption worldwide during the past year. Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) doubled in 2021 from the previous year to a new record of 6.6 million. Back in 2012, just 120 000 electric cars were sold worldwide. Nearly 10% of global car sales were electric in 2021, four times the market share in 2019. This brought the total number of electric cars on the world’s roads to about 16.5 million, triple the amount in 2018. Global sales of electric cars have kept rising strongly in 2022, with 2 million sold in the first quarter, up 75% from the same period in 2021.”
“The IEA report stated that the success of EVs is being driven by multiple factors. Sustained policy support is the main pillar. Public spending on subsidies and incentives for EVs nearly doubled in 2021 to nearly USD 30 billion. A growing number of countries have pledged to phase out internal combustion engines or have ambitious vehicle electrification targets for the coming decades. Meanwhile, many carmakers have plans to electrify their fleets that go further than policy targets. Finally, more new EV models were available in 2021, increasing the attractiveness for consumers. The number of EV models available on the market is around 450. While the 6.6 million EV Sales in 2021 were led by China (3.3 million), Europe (2.3 million) and the United States (630,000), by contrast, EV sales are still lagging in other emerging and developing economies, where the few models that are available remain unaffordable for mass-market consumers,” Mr. Araga added.
Given this global backdrop, Mr. Araga announced that this year’s PEVS will showcase the EV industry’s solidarity in fulfilling the policy objectives of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) or Republic Act No. 11697 which took effect on 11 May 2022 while its implementing rules and regulations took effect on 20 September 2022 following its publication on 5 September 2022. The law seeks to incentivize the rapid adoption of electric vehicles and charging stations in the country as it mandates 5% EV share in corporate and government fleets, dedicated parking slots for EVs, installation of charging stations in parking lots and gasoline stations, green routes in cities and municipalities, as well as fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for EV manufacturing, charging station importation, and EV utilization.
He said that the country can look forward to transitioning to sustainable transportation with the passage of EVIDA. “Aside from the climate benefits of electric vehicles, another important benefit of EVs which has come to the fore of public policy attention especially after the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is that EVs run on electricity and can therefore be an important contributor to reducing the use of oil in the country,” Mr. Araga said.
However, Mr. Araga emphasized on the government’s willingness to introduce fiscal incentives as customers should not pay so much premium for EVs. He said that promoting EV adoption coupled with fiscal incentives in emerging EV markets like the Philippines will give charging infrastructure players the incentive to enter the country, creating a virtuous cycle of EV adoption.
Themed, “United In Driving Electromobility in Support of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) or Republic Act No. 11697,” the country’s biggest annual EV conference and exhibition will mark its first physical staging after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event brings together stakeholders across the EV value chain including policymakers, regulators, academe, consultants, transport companies, power utilities and end-users to engage in policy dialogue as well as long-term collaboration to drive adoption of electric vehicles and deployment of the EV charging infrastructure in the country.
To kick off the 10th PEVS, the EV Owners Society (EVOS) will be holding a motorcade in the morning of October 20, 2022 showcasing the latest means of electric mobility around the Mall of Asia (MOA) Complex.
Mr. Araga said that EVAP will be unveiling a new logo during the event. He said, “This is the right time for us to rebrand to reflect EVAP’s vision of a modern and electrified road transport in the Philippines. We also wanted to reaffirm our commitment to advance the country’s transition to EVs by advocating and supporting enabling policies, rules and regulations to accelerate their deployment in the public and private sectors.”
The recently promulgated EVIDA Implementing Rules and Regulations (EVIDA-IRRs) will be presented by the Department of Energy (DOE) during the event together with the other
concerned government agencies namely the DILG, DOST, DOTr, DTI, ERC and LTFRB discussing their specific roles in the implementation of EVIDA.
The 10th PEVS will also recognize personalities and institution for their invaluable contribution to the advancement of electric mobility in the Philippines through the conferment of the E-mobility Awards.
Mr. Araga also discussed the line-up of topics for the 10th PEVS which include:
- EVIDA Implementing Rules and Regulations and Updates on the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI)
- Encouraging More Players in the EV Charging Space
- Global Trends and Current Issues Faced by the EV Industry
- Asian Federation of Electric Vehicle Association (AFEVA) Policy Dialogue
- Spurring EV Manufacturing Through the Strategic Investment Promotion Plan (SIPP) and the EV Incentive Strategy (EVIS)
- Public and Private E-mobility Programs
- EV Technology Presentations
