Big names get more serious in e-vehicles making

MORE mainstream automotive manufacturers are betting big on electric vehicles as climate change mitigation has become a priority agenda among developed nations.

According to the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines, big names in the auto industry are joining the bandwagon and are set to launch their respective electric vehicles globally this year.

“The Tesla Model S, BMW X5 eDrive, BMW Series 3 Plug In, VW Passat GTE Plug in, Audi A3 E-tron, Audi Q7 Plug In, Chevy Volt 2.0, Volvo XC90 T8, Volvo S60 Plug In, Mercedes Benz GLE, E and C class Plug in, Mitsubishi Outlander Plug In, BYD Tang and Rimac Concept One are but some of the electric vehicles either being sold or will be introduced in the coming months,” Evap said in a statement.

The group said American EV manufacturer Tesla, headed by entrepreneur Elon Musk, was blazing the trail, being the only new car manufacturer to be established in the United States in the last 50 years.

Other major automotive companies that have “dilly dallied” in the past, such as General Motors, have meanwhile launched their electric cars to the public for sale, not just for lease as in the past, the group added.

“It is understandable that big manufacturers will be quite slow on the uptake since they have already invested heavily in the old internal combustion engines technology which has not drastically changed during the last 100 years. It is now common knowledge that EVs are more economical to operate since electricity worldwide is cheaper than petroleum products and EVs are virtually almost maintenance free,” Evap said.

In the Philippines, Evap said it was pinning its hopes on the modernization of the country’s antiquated public transport system in pushing its EV agenda.

“With 350,000 old public utility jeepneys and 1.2 million tricycles that need replacement, it makes sense to start with these two vehicles in developing the domestic EV industry,” EVAP president Rommel Juan said.

“We are introducing new models of ETrikes and EJeepneys and we have found that no local government would not want an EV transport system in place in its area. This year, EVAP plans to reach out to LGUs to offer them its EV mass transport solutions for implementation in various areas of the country,” Juan added.