Ayala-led Integrated MicroElectronics, Inc. (IMI), along with its partners TGOOD LINCHR, GREENSTRuM, and Global Electric Transport Philippines, will be putting up at least 20 charging stations to support the rollout of Kia electric vehicles (EVs) in the country by next year and to underpin overall shift to electric mobility in the Philippines.
The local subsidiary of South Korean firm Kia is part of the AC Motors Group, which serves as a vehicle distribution arm of AC Industrials of the Ayala group – and its EV that will debut in the Philippine market – by the early part of 2023 - will be its EV6 model.
In an announcement to the media, Ayala Corporation indicated that the EV charging stations
“will be placed in seven cities across Luzon.” There are no specific sites given yet though as of this writing.
The proposed EV infrastructure, according to the company, will be of the ‘fast charger’ type – which is an ecosystem that will be brought into the emerging Philippine EV market by Ayala partner, TGOOD LINCHR, touted as one of the world’s major EV charging infrastructure provider.
Kia Philippines President Manny Aligada noted “the Ayala group will be rolling out EV charging stations in the coming weeks,” and this will be part of the company’s commitment to achieving its mid-century decarbonization journey to net zero.
“Sustainability is a future not just for Kia as the Ayala group has committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” the company executive asserted.
The Ayala group has already installed initial EV charging facilities at its 30th Ayala Mall in Pasig City as well as at the Ayala Malls Circuit in Makati, hence, the additional 20 EV charging stations taking off from blueprint will serve as expansion of what the conglomerate had already started.
Having clinched the 2022 European Car of the Year award, it was emphasized that Kia EV6
“combines the best technologies of battery-electric vehicles—long range, zero emission, and ultra-fast charging,” adding that the car has “distinctive styling and an innovative EV platform.”
The Ayala group said the Kia EV “can travel more than 500 kilometers on a single charge (based on EPA rating) and can accelerate from 0 to 100kph in 7.3 seconds.”
The conglomerate expounded that “IMI Chengdu builds the electronics and assembles the power supply system of the chargers, while GREENSTRuM oversees their local distribution, as well as their maintenance and support.”
Arthur R. Tan, CEO of Ayala-led AC Industrials which is also the parent company of IMI, conveyed that “while we have already been contributing to the global EV ecosystem for some years, we are all the more proud to be at the forefront of this major technological disruption here in the Philippines.”
He specified that “in the EV shift, the vehicle itself is just one part of the ecosystem,” hence, the company will be satisfying the other components of the infrastructure chain – and one integral element will be the deployment of EV chargers. ###