QUEZON CITY, Sept. 25 (PIA) - Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi showed support for the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) for their efforts to bring EV technology into the country yesterday (24 September), during the opening of the 8th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit.

"The promotion of EVs will go a long way in helping reduce the country's reliance on petroleum as the primary energy source for transportation. It would also help foster innovation in the conventional vehicle sector, with automotive companies finding more ways to enhance the performance and efficiency of their conventional product lines," Secretary Cusi said in his video message.

He also added that the government will continue to create a conducive environment to help the EV sector flourish, through policies that would further promote research and development, as well as encourage increased EV utilization across sectors and industries.

With the theme, "Moving Forward to an Electric Mobility in the New Normal", the Summit aims to gather stakeholders across the EV value chain, as well as policymakers, regulators, members of the academe, consultants, transport companies, utilities, and end-users to share their best practices and research outputs in the field.

As part of the Department's participation in the Summit, DOE Assistant Secretary Leonido J. Pulido III, Supervising Assistant Secretary of the DOE-Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB) and DOE-EUMB Director Patrick T. Aquino were among the panelists for the Q&A. During this segment, both officials provided updates on the agency's EV-related policies.

The Summit will run for three days from September 24 to 26. Days Two and Three will be streamed via EVAP's official Facebook page. (MTQ/PIA-IDPD/DOE)