PHL AND TAIWAN SEAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EV DEVELOPMENT

Senator Edgardo J. Angara is optimistic that the recently forged partnership between the Philippines and Taiwan will help the country establish a National Green Transport System.

Angara announced that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) have signed a letter of intent for Electric Vehicle (EV) Development during the 17th Philippine-Taiwan Joint Economic Conference (JEC) recently.

TECO and MECO expressed their desire to work closely to establish a cooperative framework for the facilitation of EV development in Taiwan and the Philippines.

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is in the forefront of developing EV technology. Last year, the Taiwanese government announced a seven-year scheme for developing its EV industry, earmarking around US$309.2 million in investments for the program.

"This cooperation is a step in the right direction. Taiwan is an emerging global EV leader. They have a great model on which we can base our own policy and business framework for the development of a Green Transport System," said Angara.

Angara, chair of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), pointed out that switching our public transport system to EV's would lessen air pollution and ease the country's dependence on imported fossil fuels.

COMSTE conceptualized the Green Transport Initiative under the Renewable Energy Research and Development Institute (RERDI) and is implementing it in cooperation with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP).

"The Green Transport System that we envision involves using renewable energy sources like geothermal, solar, wind or biofuels to charge electric public utility vehicles like e-jeepneys, e-trikes and hybrid vehicles," said Angara.

Cagayan de Oro recently ordered its first e-jeepney which will be used for shuttling services in the Pueblo de Oro Business Park. About 70 e-jeepneys are presently used in public transport in different parts of the country.

Angara noted that COMSTE is looking into the viability of an EV industry in the Philippines. COMSTE is developing EV standards together with the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP). The said standards will be essential in formulating effective EV policies. COMSTE has also been working to establish an EV testing facility in the country.

Following the JEC, COMSTE and EVAP have been invited to the Automotive Research and Testing Center (ARTC) in Taiwan.

"Learning from the successes and failures of the Taiwanese EV industry could really help us in developing our own. Our country has so much potential to become an ASEAN leader in producing public utility electric vehicles," said Angara.