December 20, 2021—MPCALA Holdings Inc. (MHI), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the tollroad development arm of the Metro Pacific Investment Corporation (MPIC), unveiled today Cavite-Laguna Expressway’s (CALAX) first fully electric security vehicle.
As part of its goal of becoming a green highway, the toll road company will transition its entire fleet of traffic and security vehicles in CALAX into environment-friendly electric vehicles (EV). Prior to this, the company had been using an electric bus as a shuttle for its employees. MHI also announced that it will put up e-vehicle charging stations along CALAX for its fleet and other e-vehicles plying the expressway.
“As each vehicle in our fleet hits its end of life, we replace them with EVs. In a broad sense EVs create a lower carbon footprint over the course of their lifetime than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Our move to transition to EV is aligned with our strategy to help decarbonize the transport sector. This is in support of our country’s goal of reducing its fossil-fuel consumption as part of its thrust for sustainable development,” said Christopher C. Lizo, Metro Pacific Tollways Chief Finance Officer and Senior Executive Sponsor for Sustainability.
CALAX EVs are supplied by eSakay, a Meralco company that provides end-to-end EV and charging infrastructure solutions. The vehicles are zero-emission which will help in reducing carbon footprint. eSakay’s strong experience in green mobility deployments allows them to provide the necessary expertise and support to this sustainability initiative of MHI and MPTC for its tollways.
Prior to this, MHI has already started integrating energy-efficient and resource-saving technologies while also while maintaining the high standard of road safety features along CALAX. Existing toll plazas of the operational sections of CALAX are equipped with solar panels that can power their own operations. Lightings and roadway lightings are installed with LED fixtures, thereby improving the company’s energy efficiency measures.
Furthermore, the company’s headquarters called MPT South HUB, located in Imus, Cavite is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registered building with a certification goal of LEED Gold. LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, available for virtually all building types. It provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings.
MPTC’s Green Highway Initiative in CALAX aligns with MPIC’s sustainability efforts that support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly in upgrading all industries and infrastructures to make them sustainable (SDG 9) and promoting innovation in building assets in adherence to the company’s commitments to climate action. (SDG 13).
Aside from CALAX, MPTC also holds concession rights for Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the NLEX Connector Road, and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in Cebu.
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