Nissan Philippines has recently partnered with local renewable energy firm First Gen Corporation in a move to further its Blue Switch initiative in the country. Launched in January of this year, Blue Switch is a program that promotes the use of EV technologies to address social concerns.

“The Blue Switch initiative allows Nissan to establish partnerships with various stakeholders, so we can work together to power mobility and beyond for a cleaner, safer, and more inclusive world,” said Atsushi Najima, president and managing director of Nissan Philippines. 

The partnership with First Gen is one of the first steps under Blue Switch that will serve as an example of how future collaborations will be approached by Nissan in the Philippines.

It includes First Gen’s acquisition of a Nissan LEAF as part of its efforts to launch the GreenWheels Project, which is an integrated electric vehicle (EV) pilot program whose novel charging station gets its supply of electricity from a clean energy source.

Under the GreenWheels Project, First Gen developed a fast EV charging station, which can accommodate multiple EVs, inside the First Gen Clean Energy Complex in Batangas City. The Nissan LEAF will serve as the project’s test vehicle.

What sets the GreenWheels Project apart is its charging station that is not only fast but is also powered by solar energy. This clean and extremely fast charging station can give an EV unit’s battery an 80-percent charge in as fast as 40 minutes, or a mere fraction of the 18 hours needed by a regular home charger.

The project allows for a truly sustainable and resilient society by completely removing the reliance on fossil fuels to power charging stations.

Nissan Philippines seeks to further support the GreenWheels project and open itself to more ways to collaborate with First Gen once the pilot testing proves to be a viable model for reducing CO2 emissions.

“The recent launch of our Blue Switch global initiative in the Philippines proves our commitment to a more sustainable and resilient society. We welcome First Gen as they take their first steps to achieve carbon neutrality with their GreenWheels Project and we look forward to a fruitful partnership with them under the Blue Switch program,” explained Najima.