Power utility giant Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is accelerating its rollout of electric vehicles (EVs) with additional 69 fleets that will help reinforce the country’s pathway into green mobility.
In a statement, Meralco noted that its new EV units comprise of cars, motorcycles, pick-up trucks and vans – and it will be for deployment to its various business centers and sector offices. Their operations will likewise be propped by at least five charging stations installed in various sites of its franchise area.
With the newly rolled out fleets, the utility firm already counts 129 EVs that have been supporting its business unit operations – primarily catering to the transport need of its personnel.
As the company gains headway on its e-mobility aspiration, Meralco emphasized that it is “on track to electrify 100-percent of its vehicle fleet,” and that is now concretized for all of its Metro Manila service vehicles.
The self-designed Green Mobility Program of Meralco, as indicated, targets “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to promote the country’s transition to electrified transport.”
Meralco President and CEO Ray C. Espinosa, in particular, is committing the power firm’s “full support to the Philippines’ transition to electric transportation.”
He qualified though that the most awaited policy underpinning to galvanize commercial scale rollout of EVs in the country will be the passage of the proposed Electric Vehicle Act -- which hopefully could pass the legislative maze of the 18th Congress and secure the final approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“As we look forward to the government’s enactment of the EV Bill – which will provide incentives to both EV suppliers and users, we welcome a greener, cleaner and safer environment in our streets and thoroughfares,” Espinosa stressed.
Electrification of the transport sector is one of the proposed anchors into limiting global greenhouse gas emissions, so the target on temperature rise limit for planet earth could be attained by mid-century.
One debatable proposition on the mass rollout of EVs, however, is the source of power supply for the charging stations of the electrified transport system; hence, there are calls on policymakers and industry leaders that this must come from renewable energy (RE) sources rather than allowing more coal to be burned just to feed e-mobility agendas.
Raymond B. Ravelo, president and CEO of eSakay, which is an affiliate EV company of Meralco, conveyed that “beyond delivering accessible and reliable electricity service to households and businesses, we in Meralco, are also at the forefront of providing sustainable solutions to our customers.”
He pointed out with the firm’s “important and intensified shift to vehicle electrification, we hope to influence and inspire others to follow suit and to likewise embed sustainability in their operations.”
ESakay has been offering end-to-end EV solutions as well as the critical charging infrastructure facilities to guarantee that electrified system of mobility will turn out sustainable and reliable.