Nissan accelerates transition to electric vehicles in PHI

Based on PHI’s presentation of the Nissan LEAF last May, Nissan continues to lead the discussion on the introduction of electric vehicles in the country.

As co-chair of the 9th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, Nissan showcased how the brand is advancing its strategy to electrify the Philippines.

The brand unveiled the next phase of its electric vehicle strategy for the country at a virtual industry event following the launch of the all-electric Nissan LEAF last May .

“Now that the Nissan LEAF is here, the next phase of our electrification plans for the country involves continuously educating the public on the benefits of electric vehicles, while making the Nissan LEAF available to more parts of the country through our Nissan EV dealerships,” the statement said. Atsushi Najima, president and managing director of Nissan Philippines.

In a video presentation during the electric vehicle industry’s annual event, Nissan showcased the nationwide reach of its electrification strategy, presenting Cebu as a backdrop to discuss its sustainability vision.

Educating the community

During a recent trip to the Nissan dealership in Cebu South V. Rama Najima discussed how the dealership can further educate its customers on owning and maintaining the Nissan LEAF.

“As an innovative electric vehicle dealership, we have a challenging but exciting task to educate our community on the benefits of green mobility,” said Michael Goho, executive vice president of Gateway Group, Nissan’s electric vehicle dealership partner. “It takes passionate and committed people who believe in sustainable mobility to make electric vehicle adoption a reality,” he added.

Expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure
Nissan currently sells the Nissan LEAF at six electric vehicle outlets across the country: Cebu; Mantrade Makati, Otis Manila and Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila; and Tagum and Matina in Mindanao.

With Nissan EV dealers having charging stations that are free and exclusive to LEAF customers, the brand has created the widest and largest network of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in the country. This network of dealerships and charging stations for electric vehicles is expected to continue to grow as the brand will offer the Nissan LEAF in many parts of the Philippines in the future.

Partnering for the future

With the right product and locations to make its electrification strategy a reality, Nissan is now looking for potential partners to achieve the brand’s goal of creating a sustainable and resilient society. Nissan sees collaboration with government and the private sector as the next step towards fully realising its vision.

Najima cites the company’s Blue Switch programme in Japan as a potential next chapter in the Philippines’ electrification strategy. Launched in Japan in May 2018, Blue Switch has partnered with various private and public stakeholders in Japan to promote the use of electric vehicles and address social issues such as disaster response, energy management, climate change and eco-tourism.

“We are not just offering our customers a zero-emission vehicle with the Nissan LEAF, but a nationwide electric vehicle charging network through our electric vehicle representative offices. We are also committed to building a network of partners here in the Philippines for sustainability and resilience, unlocking the potential of electric vehicle technology to address social issues,” says Najima.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)