Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) recently presented its corporate electric vehicle (EV) fleet transformation program in an event held at the Blue Leaf Cosmopolitan in Quezon City. The launch kickstarts its support of Republic Act 11697, also known as the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), and its contribution towards greener and cleaner mobility in the country.
In an effort to bolster the use and development of EVs to reduce the dependence of the local transportation sector on imported fossil fuels, the EVIDA mandates that at least five percent of the fleets of industrial and commercial companies must be EVs.
“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% 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 presented were BTY T3 Mini Vans configured for logistical purposes. The T3 EVans have double sliding doors as well as a tailgate that opens the entire rear end of the vehicle. The vehicles have a travel distance of approximately 250 kilometers and fully charges in about 6 to 8 hours. The EV fleet is set to be deployed to the three key cities of AboitizPower distribution utilities (DUs), specifically, 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 Percides. “We aim to achieve 40% electrification for our four-wheeled vehicles and motorbikes by 2030 and finally transform and electrify 100% 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 ten years. Overall, this complements the Philippines’ aspiration to reduce its heavy reliance on the importation of fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation via the harnessing of cleaner and indigenous sources.
Aside from reducing emissions, it also contributes to the company’s bottom line through improved energy efficiency and transportation economics, as the cost per kilometer traveled of a unit is at least half that of 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,” Percides 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.