Ayala Corp. aims to build the first electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in the country which it said is key to the country’s transition to EV.
Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala, Ayala chairman, said at the company stockholders meeting last week, the company expects EV to comprise 20 percent of new car sales six years from now or by 2030.
Zobel said Ayala aims to corner a “significant share” of that market.
“In the short term, our focus is to set up the local EV ecosystem by bringing in a compelling line-up of four-wheel EVs as well as by widening the charging infrastructure, store footprint, and our internal capabilities,” Zobel said.
Zobel who also sits as the chief executive officer of Ayala’s automotive arm, ACMobility, said the group is “actively engaging potential institutional partners for the rollout of charging stations.”
“We believe more players and more investments are necessary for the public to become comfortable with the availability of charging, and to reach the government’s goal of over 7,000 charging stations by 2030,” Zobel said.
“We recognize the shift towards clean technology will take time to materialize. Thus, our focus today is to enable that transition,” he added.
ACMobility, together with Ayala Land and Integrated Micro-electronics Inc., launched a network of 33 EV charging stations in 16 locations across the country last year. Ayala group aims to add 100 more stations in at least 40 locations within the year.
Last year, ACMobility became the official national distributor of BYD, China’s and the world’s the largest manufacturer of plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles.
BYD currently has three dealers across the country, and ACMobility intends to increase this to up to 20 dealers this year, Zobel said.
This week, ACMobility will open a BYD dealership in Cebu, the first outside of Metro Manila.
ACMobility also entered into a strategic partnership with Bosch to incorporate integrated vehicle technology in its after-sales operations.
