A number of electric vehicles (EVs) will be showcased along a couple of major thoroughfares in Metro Manila this weekend. The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) is organizing the first-ever EV eco-run dubbed as “Accelerating the Switch to EV Charging” on Saturday, November 6, 2021. The event, which is set to further push the use of EVs in the country, will be mounted with the support of the association’s sub-group, EV Owners Society (EVOS), a community of EV owners in the country.
“Accelerating the Switch to EV Charging” will gather registered participants — EV owners in Metro Manila and nearby areas — for a driving tour that is aimed to demonstrate support to a proposed legislation that is lodged in the bicameral conference committee which promotes the widespread use of EVs in the Philippines.
The activity is also in line with the ongoing 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), wherein EVAP and the country are participating in. COP26, which started on October 31st and will last until November 12th in Glasgow, Scotland, gathers parties from across the globe to accelerate and expedite action towards the goals of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change.
“EVAP is unrelentingly spearheading the push towards the use of EVs so the country could do its part in the rising international drive towards a greener planet”, said EVAP President Edmund Araga. “In our little way, we aim to stage a show of force to gain the backing of our honorable legislators so we could earn a major milestone in our proposed switch to air pollution-free and energy-efficient EVs.”
Participants to the upcoming one-day eco-run will drive along assigned routes to complete required activities. There will be two loops that they can take: North Loop (40kph speed) running from the Land Rover dealership along EDSA in Greenhills, San Juan City going to the UNIOIL EDSA Guadalupe station-DOE Avenue; and South Loop (15kph speed) starting from the Nissan Mantrade dealership along Pasong Tamo Extension in Makati City, going through BYD (southwest corner Buendia/Dian St), Nissan Otis, and ending in UNIOIL Guadalupe station-DOE Avenue.
There will be checkpoints assigned per station where participants are required to submit activity passports containing information from the registration form and a list of EV charging stations. These passports will be stamped or signed by marshals at the stations. As further validity, participants will have their photos taken while holding plaque cards and picking a prize. The first-ever EV eco-run is set to begin at any of the loops at 8:00 AM on Saturday, November 6th. The timer starts at the minute a participant enters a station. All stations in both North and South loops will be completed along with the designated stamps/signatures in the activity passport. Participants are estimated to spend around 3 minutes at each station for the physical activities. All participants are expected to finish and meet up at the Ford BGC dealership at 10:00 AM for awarding and snacks.