The electric future of the next generation

The other day, while scrolling through my social media feed, I came across a post about a collection of interviews from the 1960s, with ordinary people asked to imagine the future. Some predicted we would one day talk to each other through video, face to face, from anywhere in the world. Others spoke of flying cars and machines that could guide you to any destination.

Back then, it all sounded almost laughable. Now look where we are. Just today, I did an interview over Zoom. I never think twice about asking my phone for directions and real-time traffic before I drive. And just last week, flying cars were being demonstrated.

After more than 60 years in this world, I have seen plenty of “impossible” things become ordinary. What looks like fantasy in one generation becomes routine in the next. I believe electric mobility belongs in that story. For the Philippines in particular, it may be one of the most important chapters yet.

Here is why: we are more than 110 million Filipinos across thousands of islands – we need our economy to keep growing. That means more transport, more logistics and more energy. But we also want cleaner air and a better future for our children and grandchildren. We cannot choose one over the other. We have to pursue both.

That is why I no longer see electric vehicles (EVs) as a niche cause for environmentalists or a toy reserved only for the wealthy. They have become a matter of national development.

Countries around the world are racing toward electric mobility not only to cut emissions. EVs reduce dependence on imported fuel, improve energy efficiency, spur innovation and create new industries and jobs. For a country where fuel price swings hit households and businesses hard, those advantages deserve serious attention.

What I know though is that this will not happen overnight – gasoline and diesel vehicles will be on our roads for more years to come. But every big change starts with somebody taking the first step, purposively. The real question is no longer whether electric mobility is coming. It’s whether we will move fast enough to benefit from it.

Government has an important role to play. RA 11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act gave us a solid foundation and fostered a more supportive investor climate. The next step is to build on it: simplify permits, widen the incentives for buyers and get charging stations into our cities and along our major routes sooner, all under clear national standards so that every station is legitimate, safe and reliable so that every driver can plug in with confidence.

The private sector also has to make ownership easy. People need to know they can charge at home, at the office and along the way to the province. Companies can help by switching their own fleets, putting up charging points and etching sustainability into their long-term plans.

The encouraging news is that momentum is building. Automakers are bringing more EV models to market. Banks are exploring green financing. Developers are building charging facilities into residential and commercial projects. Meanwhile, the energy companies are laying the groundwork for mass adoption.

As a Meralco employee, I have seen the company evolve from simply delivering electricity to actively enabling the country’s energy transition. Meralco sees that the future of mobility and the future of energy are now tied together.

Its Electric Vehicle Adoption Program goes at the problem from several sides: more charging infrastructure, part of its own fleet going electric and partnerships to widen the use of electric mobility. The premise is simple. People are more willing to switch when they can already see working chargers and real people using EVs every day.

Home charging addresses one of buyers’ most common worries. Unlike gasoline vehicles, EVs charge where people live and work, with no trip to the fuel station. Making that experience seamless is key to building consumer confidence.

MOVEM, Meralco’s mobility subsidiary, is also expanding its EV-related services to bridge the gap between interest and actual adoption. The challenge today is not convincing Filipinos that EVs are desirable. It is making ownership practical, accessible and reliable.

Still, this is bigger than any one company. It takes government agencies, power distributors, automakers, technology providers, banks, charging operators and of course, consumers. We will get there through collaboration, not competition alone.

That is why gatherings like the 14th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit matter. From Oct. 22 to 24 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, policymakers, manufacturers, infrastructure providers, investors and everyday consumers meet to talk about building a complete electric mobility ecosystem. It is where plans get tested, new technology gets shown and policy gaps get named.

As a senior citizen, I have seen this country change many times. I’ve seen technologies once dismissed as too ambitious become part of daily life and I’ve seen industries adapt and reinvent themselves. Electric mobility looks to me like the next chapter.

It will not be easy. Infrastructure takes time, people still need to be educated and costs have to come down. But from what I know, progress do not wait for perfect conditions.

A cleaner, smarter and more energy-secure transport system is within reach. We should pursue it, not because it is trendy, but because the next generation will need it.