South Korean group eyes local tie-ups for e-jeep, e-trike manufacturing

South Korea’s Global Electric Vehicle Network (Gevern) is looking at partnership opportunities with their Philippine counterparts, particularly in the manufacture of e-jeepneys and e-trikes.

Rommel Juan, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (Evap), said in a statement his group recently hosted a delegation from Gevern to explore possible areas of cooperation and sharing of best practices.

“Most of the areas discussed were technical in nature as our domestic EV industry is still a sunrise industry,” Juan said.

“For starters, they (South Koreans) pledged to assist us in drafting the standards for EV parts and components, vehicle specifications and the testing procedures, all based on Korean EV standards.”

The Gevern mission also went on tours to observe the deployment of e-jeepneys in Muntinlupa City and the operation of assembly plants.

“We are interested in business opportunities available such as joint ventures with local EV players who can either distribute the products of our members or even manufacture and assemble them locally,” said Geven chair Kim Daehwan. “We are excited by the large potential volume in the e-jeepney and e-trike markets.”

According to research firm IDTechEx, the e-trike market in the Philippines was expected to help drive the global market for small, manned electric vehicles towards $33 billion over the next 10 years.

IDTechEx noted that, in the Philippines, “3.2 million polluting tuktuk taxis (referring to tricycles) need replacing.”

Gevern itself is involved in the Green City initiative of Jeju Island, where the plan is to have 100 percent electric vehicles plying the roads by 2030.