The country’s Electric Vehicle industry may just get a boost real soon. This development came about as members of the South Korean Electric Vehicle group Global Electric Vehicle Network (GEVERN) recently visited the Philippines.
Led by its Chairman Daehwan Kim, the group met up with its Philippine counterpart, the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) through its President, Mr Rommel Juan. Kim was joined by Dr. Chun-Beom Lee, president of Dalum Technology and Dr. Ock Taeck Lim, assistant professor at the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering of the University of Ulsan, while the Philippine contingent also had Director Angie Cayas of the International Investment Promotion Service and Lito Umali, chief of the Heavy Industries Division, Manufacturing Industries Service on hand.
The meeting started with a briefing by EVAP and the Board of Investments (BOI) on the current state of our growing EV sector. This was followed by the South Koreans giving a short presentation of their own EV initiatives, specifically those that have been taking place in the City of Jeju. The city, they said, plans to have 100% EV capacity by the year 2030.
Besides the meeting, the two groups also visited the City of Muntinlupa to observe its EV program. It will be recalled that a fleet of EJeepneys has been roaming the streets of this city for quite some time now. They likewise observed some of the assembly plants of select EVAP members to see how they have been putting together their own version of clean vehicles.
GEVERN also took the opportunity to invite everyone to attend its 4th Electric Vehicle Expo that will take place from March 17-23, 2017 in Jeju Island, Korea. The group also expressed its willingness to further explore joint ventures with EVAP members to help strengthen the EV sector in the country.
And judging by the looks of Korea’s EV industry, that bit of help from them might just be the shot in the arm we need for a clean EV future.
