Ayala group powers EV-ready future for Filipinos
Sales of the Kia EV6 will begin in early 2023. Charging options of the EV6 in the Philippines are as follows: through the Kia In Cable Control Box charger that comes with the vehicle; a home wall-mounted charger that can be purchased and installed by Greenstrum; and the growing number of malls and establishments that offer EV charging stations with Type 2/CCS2 protocol. Brand and Reputation Management file photo
MANILA – Months before Kia Philippines’ first full-electric vehicle lands at local dealerships, the Ayala Group of Companies is rolling out an EV ecosystem to enable an EV-ready future for Filipinos.
During the preview of Kia’s first fully electric vehicle, the EV6, at the 8th Philippine International Motor Show, Kia Philippines President Manny Aligada said that the Ayala group will be rolling out EV charging stations in the coming weeks. Over 20 EV charging stations, according to Ayala Land, will be placed in seven cities across Luzon.
“Sustainability is a future not just for Kia as the Ayala group has committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” he added. “This is a guideline Kia believes in and is a focal point in our business. Sustainability is our move to protect the greatest source of inspiration, nature.”
The Kia EV6 was named 2022 European Car of the Year and was a recipient of the 2022 Red Dot Design Awards as well as the 2022 iF Design Awards. It combines the best technologies of battery-electric vehicles—long-range, zero-emission, and ultra-fast charging—with Kia’s distinctive styling and an innovative EV platform. It can travel more than 500 kilometers on a single charge (based on EPA rating) and can accelerate from 0 to 100kph in 7.3 seconds.
Sales of the Kia EV6 will begin in early 2023.
Kia Philippines is part of the AC Motors Group, Ayala’s vehicle distribution arm under AC
Industrials.
Global ecosystem of EV enablers
As early as December 2021, Ayala’s electronics manufacturing arm Integrated Micro Electronics, Inc. (IMI), together with its partners TGOOD LINCHR, GREENSTRuM, and Global Electric Transport Philippines, already installed integrated EV charging stations and transportation systems at Ayala Malls The 30th in Pasig City and Ayala Malls Circuit in Makati City.
These integrated EV systems feature fast chargers from TGOOD LINCHR, the world’s largest EV charging infrastructure provider and one of IMI’s valued partners in the new energy market. IMI Chengdu builds the electronics and assembles the power supply system of the chargers, while GREENSTRuM oversees their local distribution, as well as their maintenance and support.
“While we have already been contributing to the global EV ecosystem for some years, we are all the more proud to be at the forefront of this major technological disruption here in the Philippines,” said Arthur R. Tan, Group CEO of Ayala-led AC Industrials, IMI’s parent company.
Tan added that the Ayala group holds several capabilities that can enable the auto industry’s move towards electric vehicles—from renewable power generation, manufacturing, and operation of chargers, to vehicle distribution and retail. “In the EV shift, the vehicle itself is just one part of the ecosystem – an EV cannot run without a power supply or charging infrastructure. These, among many other components of the EV ecosystem, are what we have been working hard to address long before we brought Kia’s first full-electric vehicle into the country.”
