Q&A: ‘We will not stop educating people about EVs’

BYD Cars Philippines Managing Director Bob Palanca on what to expect from the ‘new energy vehicle’ leader

Interview by Kap Maceda Aguila

IN THE ERQI District of Zhengzhou stands Di-Space, BYD’s first “national new energy vehicle science museum.” The facility not only tells of and encapsulates the auto industry’s tale as a whole but is a deep dive into the innovations and technologies that have marked the journey-to-date of the world’s leading new energy vehicle brand.

It is verily a curious juxtaposition of old and new. Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan Province located on the east-central mainland, and is said to boast history dating back to the Neolithic times and was a former ancient Shang dynasty stronghold. Di-Space is now projecting the type of cutting-edge work being done on BYD vehicles and their components — along with specimens from its affiliate marques Denza, Fangchengbao, and Yangwang.

BYD said it sunk nearly CNY200 million into establishing the four-storey, 15,000-square-meter facility (with an additional 8,500 square meters of outdoor support), which marks “an important step for BYD in the field of science education and cultural promotion of new energy vehicles.”

Speaking in front of a long-wheelbase, three-row luxury SUV Yangwang U8 (just launched this month in China), BYD Cars Philippines Managing Director Bob Palanca exclusively spoke with “Velocity” on the sidelines of last week’s BYD 2025 Philippine Media Driving Experience Day (more reportage coming soon). BYD, through local distributor ACMobility, has already established 40 dealerships in the country, and previously declared an intent to grow the network to 77 locations by yearend.

Here are excerpts from our exclusive interview.

VELOCITY: Can you share with us the message that BYD wants us to take away from our experiences in the global headquarters in Shenzhen and Di-Space in Zhengzhou? What does BYD want to convey to customers and would-be customers in the Philippines?

BOB PALANCA: We are a technology company. Our brand is not just building cars; it’s building the future — from our Blade battery, to our platforms, to our extensive technologies being offered. And BYD is not stopping. That’s the reason why there are over 120,000 engineers across the world developing technologies for BYD’s customers to experience.

Please comment on the state of BYD’s business in the Philippines.

As mentioned during our announcement last April, we’ve released a total of 10,000 vehicles from the very beginning, and we see it as a very significant volume. We’re very happy that the market has accepted BYD — its technologies and complete lineup from our BEVs (battery electric vehicles), from the Seagull, the eMax 7, the Dolphin, the Atto 3, the Seal, the Han and the Tang, to our PHEV models: the Sealion 6, the Sealion 5, the Seal 5 Premium and Dynamic, and the Shark 6. So we’re quite happy that the market has positively accepted our vehicles and technology.

At BYD, we’d like to cater to each and every segment. To date, we already have released a total of 12 models, 12 new energy vehicles since the very beginning. And we’re not stopping. We will ensure that we get to cater to each segment in the Philippine market.

Are more buyers or browsers cognizant of EVs?

The awareness of our consumers is increasing, I would say, rather quickly. A lot of car buyers in the Philippines are actually already aware of the BEV technology that BYD has, but we are not going to stop helping everyone — to educate people and tell the story about EVs (including) what benefits they can get, how they can save on the long term and, more importantly, save the environment as well.

As we progress toward the end of the year, ACMobility also is on track to release a total of 700 charging points across the Philippines that will help EV adoption (happen) faster. That’s our main objective, and we will not stop in continuously sharing more information and educating the market on the benefits of EV ownership.

How does BYD as a brand fit into the Ayala Group’s vision toward carbon neutrality in its operations? How are you leveraging your affinity or your membership in this group to give BYD sort of a leg up in terms of pushing it to the customers?

Actually, it’s a match made in heaven. I would say that the mission and objectives of Ayala, ACMobility, as well as BYD, are aligned and are moving forward rather quickly in order for us to be able to tap more of the Philippine market. Using Ayala synergies, we work closely with different groups because even Globe has a separate commitment in terms of sustainability efforts; same goes with Ayala Land and others.

So there’s an alignment within the Ayala Group?

Definitely, from the purchase of vehicles, to infrastructure, to overall sustainability of the entire group.

The rollout pace of BYD models has been brisk. Do you think that this synergy realized in the Ayala Group also benefits your sales goals in over the long term?

I think it could be a win-win for everyone within the Ayala Group. I think it’s beneficial for everyone (allowing us) to move faster and quicker. That’s happening today.