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June 15, 2018

Is Nissan Philippines Bringing in the Leaf EV?


Is Nissan Philippines bringing in the Leaf EV into the country? The signs are pointing strongly to that possibility after a statement made by the President of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) to announce the upcoming 6th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit.

During a press conference to announce the upcoming EV summit on July 10 and 11 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, EVAP President Rommel Juan said:
“Government and business interest in electric transport is growing rapidly as costs associated with EVs begin to drop and charging infrastructure start to expand. Even automotive giants such as Nissan and Mitsubishi are making a push in bringing their EV models to the Philippine market.” [emphasis ours].
With EVs now exempted from new vehicle excise tax thanks to the TRAIN law, it’s certainly an opportune time for Nissan to showcase the Leaf EV into the country. Although the Leaf hasn’t been announced officially for the Philippine market (it has been announced for 7 markets in the Asia & Oceania market including Thailand), the Japanese carmaker was quoted saying that they have been “accelerating their plans to bring it into the country.”

Nissan’s plans to bring in the Leaf EV was likely buoyed by the fact that around 50 percent of Filipinos are open to purchasing a purely electric vehicle. This figure is based on a study commissioned by Nissan and done by Frost & Sullivan, a global consulting company.

Even with one of the highest electricity rates in the Asia & Oceania region, opting for the Leaf EV can potentially save its owner more than P 90,000 annually.

There’s also discounting that Nissan’s decision to bring in the Leaf may echo moves by its sister company, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation or MMPC. It must be remembered that MMPC has already brought in several examples of the i-MiEV and Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), but its application has so far been limited to government and institutional use.

Still, with Nissan spending a lot to promote the Leaf (including one that sent several Philippine-based journalists to cover its global launch), the signs are there to actually see it being sold at showrooms alongside its other offerings such as the Terra, Urvan, and Navara.

Likely, more details about Nissan Philippines’s moves in the EV sector will be formally announced at the 6th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit. This show will be organized by the EVAP along with the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) and Partnership for Clean Air (PCA). It will also be supported by the Department of Transportation Department of Trade, Department of Energy, and you guessed it, Nissan Philippines and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation.

5 comments:

  1. Sige na benta niyo na. Maawa kayo

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  2. DO IT!

    Although with Meralco rates I'm not so sure if it would be cheaper lol. So let's try to calculate. Nissan Leaf 2019 will have 60 kWh battery pack for around 360km range. Let say I have maxed out Meralco bill then my rate is at PHP9.49/kWh. To fully charge my 2019 Leaf I will end up spending 9.49x60 or around PHP569. Not bad! That's about my range per 3+ weeks since I can't drive the car for a day, so 'fuel' cost of EV will be pretty darn cheap. I live in a condo therefore still not applicable to me lol unless I can find a random socket near my basement parking hmmmm. I assume PMS cost is also cheaper since there is no oil change involved? Life of the batteries should reach 8-10 years or about 8–9% battery degradation every 15-20k odo reading. Unfortunately even if it has 0% tax I am guessing it will still priced at PHP2m+ range. If they manage to trim down the price to around 1.25m it would surely be a hit.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hopefully yes. because car companies are just holding it back because electric cars could eat up sales of their gas cars, we should have the leaf and certain competitors such as bmw i3 and chevy bolt here years ago.. if only musk could turn his eye to ph. lol

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    Replies
    1. Tesla can't even meet demands in their own country, no way they can enter the Philippine market.

      Would be nice to see the Leaf or other ev's make their way here

      Delete

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