AboitizPower launches EV fleet program
‘Electrifying our fleet will help us further reduce carbon emissions, lower operating costs and contribute to cleaner air in the cities where we operate’
Daily Tribune‘Electrifying our fleet will help us further reduce carbon emissions, lower operating costs and contribute to cleaner air in the cities where we operate’
The EVs will soon be deployed to the three key cities of AboitizPower distribution utilities, namely Visayan Electric, Davao Light and Cotabato Light. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ABOITIZPOWER
Aboitiz Power Corporation recently launched its corporate electric vehicle fleet transformation program with the presentation of new plug-in EVs in an event held at the Blue Leaf Cosmopolitan in Quezon City.
The launch kickstarts its support of Republic Act 11697, the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act, as part of its contribution to greener and cleaner mobility in the country.
The EVIDA mandates that at least 5 percent of industrial and commercial companies' fleets are electronic vehicles, to bolster the use and development of EVs and reduce the local transport sector's dependence on imported fossil fuels.
"As a leader in the energy industry, we want to incorporate innovations that will improve the efficiency and sustainability of our operations. The world is facing developments in climate change, global connectivity, population growth, urbanization and digitalization, and these changes demand that businesses like ours transform to remain relevant," said AboitizPower president and CEO Manny Rubio.
"The mobility sector has always had a history of being the highest energy-consuming sector in the country. In fact, the sector accounts for 31.3 percent of total final energy consumption with over 11 million tons of oil equivalent. Globally, it is a major contributor to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions," he added.
"With an ever-growing demand for powered mobility, we recognize that deeper electrification of mobility is a key enabler in achieving a cleaner and more sustainable world energy system. After all, a broad range of mobility applications can be powered with electricity from cleaner or zero-emission sources."
The EVs were manufactured by Build Your Dreams and will soon be deployed to the three key cities of AboitizPower distribution utilities, namely Visayan Electric, Davao Light and Cotabato Light.
"Bound to be deployed in the franchise areas we serve in Visayas and Mindanao, with land areas more than six times the size of Metro Manila, these vehicles are geared to prove their efficiency and reliability in this new age of electric mobility," said AboitizPower Distribution Utilities COO Anton Perdices. "We aim to achieve 30 percent electrification for our four-wheeled vehicles and motorbikes by 2030 and finally transform and electrify 100 percent of the AboitizPower DU fleet by 2040."
The EV fleet transformation program reinforces the demand for cleaner energy sources and aligns with AboitizPower's growth strategy of adding 3,700 megawatts of renewable energy — like solar, wind and geothermal — to its generation portfolio in the next 10 years. Overall, this complements the Philippines' aspiration to reduce its heavy reliance on fossil fuel importation for transportation and electricity generation via the harnessing of cleaner and indigenous sources.
Aside from reduction of emissions, it also contributes to the company's bottom line in terms of improved energy efficiency and transportation economics, as the cost per kilometer traveled of a unit is at least half compared to internal combustion engine vehicles.
"Electrifying our fleet will help us further reduce carbon emissions, lower operating costs and contribute to cleaner air in the cities where we operate. This way, we are also helping empower the evolution of the cities we serve," Perdices said.
Together with its partners, AboitizPower currently has the largest and most diversified renewable energy platform in the Philippines in terms of installed capacity under its operational control. Currently, close to 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects — including wind and solar farms and more geothermal capacities — are in the pipeline.
