An American –based manufacturing company is set to bring its technology in Clark Freeport, pouring an $80 million worth of investment to develop its ‘green vehicle’ manufacturing plant within the zone.
Envirotech Vehicles, a transportation provider and manufacturer of all-electric and zero-emission vehicles, is eyeing to establish its local assembly facility on a 15,000 to 20,000 square meters land area within Clark Freeport. Phillip Oldridge, the firm’s CEO and Board Chair, said that they intend to start construction by October of this year.
“The facility that we are looking to build is somewhere between 15,000 to 20,000 square meters and we’re hoping to have that entire facility completely finished and functioning by December of 2025,” Oldridge shared.
To formally establish their presence in the Freeport, EVT recently signed and entered into a two-year lease agreement with Berthaphil Inc., a developer inside Clark, for the provision of EVT’s temporary office and facility while they wait for the completion of their own assembly plant.
“We have been working with the officials of Clark, looking around at land, and ultimately, EVT will going to build out (its own facility). But right now, we’re starting with temporary locations and we’re going to use those locations and convert those into parks and parks storage afterward. Then, we’re going to build out a manufacturing facility,” he added.
Oldridge further said that they are looking to generate around 800 direct job opportunities related to manufacturing, green energy, and technology.
“To give you a bit of an idea of what our facility would create in terms of job, it will create around 800 direct jobs. The jobs will be spread over three areas such as manufacturing being one area, of course, there’s green energy because we’re all environmentally friendly, and then the other areas that we will be hiring into are the technology area,” he added.
Oldridge also mentioned that they will begin hiring staff for management positions in July, followed by filling vacancies for facility readiness and preparation.
Meanwhile, CDC President and CEO Atty. Agnes VST Devanadera expressed elation about this new opportunity for Clark and for the country. She also thanked EVT for choosing to locate their business in the Freeport.
“Thank you very much Mr. Oldridge for responding to the call of our President Bongbong Marcos to come over to the Philippines and invest here. You will be taken care of. Our people at CDC are very excited that you came to Clark. More than ever, our country needs you in manufacturing e-vehicles and this also aligns well with our vision for Clark as a sustainable, green, and resilient zone,”
EVT’s presence in the Philippines, according to Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, is a welcome development and aligns with the country’s ongoing PUV Modernization Program.
“With EVT’s operations here, we can really take advantage of the local production of e-vehicles and e-vehicle parts for our modernization efforts. This will be a cheaper, quicker, and overall more sustainable way of implementing our PUV modernization,” he said.
Other key government officials who are present during the signing ceremony are Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla, and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
