Power utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is broadening the base of its electric vehicles (EV) deployment, as it takes in a new partner - carmaker BYD, which is part of the evolution of EVs in China.
In a statement to the media, the power company specified that for its EV subsidiary eSakay Inc., it had chosen BYD e2 and BYD T3 to provide full-battery electric vehicle models for its green mobility program.
“Through this program, Meralco has initiated its big leap towards the full electrification of its vehicle fleet in the coming years,” the firm said, while noting that “this is all part of the company’s commitment to utilize greener and more sustainable transportation solutions.
The other suite of EVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) being offered by BYD include: a) Dolphin model, which is a 5-door fully electric hatchback with a range of 300 kilometers on a full charge; b) the T3, a 7-seater fully electric van with a range of 250 kms per charge; c) the Tang, which is a premium luxury flagship 7-seater SUV with a range of 600 kms; and d) the Han, a premium luxury flagship sedan with a range of 600 kms. The distributor of BYD’s EV fleets in the country is STAR Corporation.
Meralco Chief Sustainability Officer Raymond B. Ravelo, who is also the president and CEO of eSakay, asserted 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 qualified that “with our 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.”
Meralco is not just ramping up the deployment of EVs in the country, it is also a major contributor to infrastructure build-up, especially for charging stations, that will support the eventual commercial-scale rollout of EVs.
Electrification of the transport sector is among the policy and development anchors cast by climate scientists so the world could achieve targets of limiting temperature warming to 1.5 degrees C by mid-century.
On Meralco’s business collaboration with BYD for EV deployment, Ravelo stated that both companies are committed “to promote the country’s important transition to electrified transport.”
For Mark Andrew Tieng, managing director of BYD, he stressed that it is a distinctive accomplishment for their firm “to enable companies and individuals” on to cementing their electric mobility pathway.
“I’m excited to take part in serving our community more with every conventional vehicle’s switch to electric expected to benefit everyone, and not only the ones who bought them,” he said.