The electric-vehicle (EV) industry is seen to generate as much as 10,000 additional jobs if the Philippines would become the EV manufacturing hub in the region, the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (Evap) said on Wednesday.
“In a country where mass public transport is not yet that efficient and reliable, the Philippines is finally embracing electric vehicles and, slowly but surely, more forward thinkers are realizing their viability as an alternative transport solution for the country,” Evap President Rommel Juan said.
Currently, the Makati Green Route (MGR) utilizes over 20 electric jeepneys (e-jeepneys) in the Makati City villages of Legaspi and Salcedo.
Juan said the e-jeepneys that ply along the MGR are the first to ever receive the new orange Land Transportation Office license plates for e-jeepneys. “It is also the first mass-transport operations to receive an LTFRB [Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board] franchise. It truly was a real trailblazer. Now, seven years after the introduction of the first e-jeepney route, at last many other areas are following suit,” Juan said.
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), for one, utilizes EVs within its compound. The Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University in Cavite and the College of Saint Benilde all have a fleet of e-jeepneys going around their respective campuses. Moreover, Filinvest City announced that it will operate e-jeepneys inside its sprawling mall in Alabang.
Aside from e-jeepneys, the group also promotes electric tricycles (e-trikes). Evap Executive Director Bodie Pulido said Kia Motors, a pioneer e-trike manufacturer, recently launched a fleet of e-trikes and the very first commercial charging station in Bacoor, Cavite.
“There are also three Japanese companies now offering e-trikes locally—Terra Motors, Prozza Hirose and Beet Philippines. But what has excited the market even more is a new concept in mass-transport operations, the lease-to-own business model,” Pulido said.
This model essentially assists tricycle drivers to own their own e-trike for only P250 a day.
“It seems that using EVs for public transport has very little or no bad side at all. The issue of initial high cost has already been addressed by companies providing their own financing schemes to make it available and more affordable for users,” Pulido added.
The Evap officials stressed the viability of the EVs as compared to other utility vehicles.
“They are eco-friendly and cheaper to maintain. Electricity is cheaper than fuel. We computed that in operating EVs vis-à-vis regular fuel-fed vehicles. You can generate total cost savings of up to 40 percent. Most important, the EV industry will generate additional jobs. There is finally an industry we can call our own and that we can be proud of,” Pulido said.
Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/electric-vehicle-industry-seen-to-generate-10000-fresh-jobs/
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