August 16, 2023

Philippines Is Way Off Electric Vehicle Adoption Targets


The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) has released a “state of the nation” report ahead of its planned 11th EV Summit from October 19 to 21.

Established in 2008, the EVAP is one of the oldest electric vehicle industry associations in Southeast Asia. To date, it has 69 members consisting of 12 local manufacturers, eight academe, and seven individuals.

Based on available data from Statista, 1,013 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) were sold locally in 2022—higher than the 843 in 2021, and 378 in 2020

In the first quarter of 2023, the number already surpasses the entire 2022 total at 2,536.

According to EVAP, this could mainly be attributed to the implementation of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) or the Republic Act No. 11697, which lapsed to become a law in April 2022 and enacted in May 2022 (with implementing rules and regulations taking effect in September 2022).

EVIDA incentivizes EV adoption nationwide—through allocating dedicated parking slots in establishments, assigning green routes across cities and municipalities, and exempting the vehicles from other perks including the number coding scheme. Public and private sectors have also been working to make charging stations more conveniently accessible to EV owners.

Speaking about chargers, EVAP reports that the Philippines now has additional 258 AC chargers, 59 DC fast chargers, and 21 battery swapping stations—all added in public locations just last year.

Despite the promising numbers, EVAP says the country is far from the EVIDA’s 2030 targets. As of October 2022, Passenger and Commercial “XEV” (the blanket term covering both Battery Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Electric Vehicles) accounted to only 2.42 percent of Total Industry Volume. This is a long way to go versus the 15 percent target set for 2030.

It’s even worse for two-wheeled and electric buses. So far, only 0.06 percent of Total Industry Volume are made of battery electric motorcycles compared to the 15 percent target set by 2030. The same goes for electric buses with 0.76 percent compared to the target of 20 percent.

When it comes to charging infrastructure, EVAP reports that the 900 or so EV chargers installed is a far cry from the projected 10,000 set for 2025 (1,000 of these are DC fast chargers and 9,000 are AC chargers).

“Implementation remains a big challenge as it involves extensive output and promotion,” said Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) President Edmund Araga. “The EV industry is still making necessary adjustments in terms of supplies and infrastructures. Transitions are on the way in terms of regulations being set by different government agencies involved.”

Araga also pointed out that currently, the Department of Energy (DOE) is setting the pace in the government sector through rolling out necessary programs especially those aligned with the law pertaining to renewable energy sources. “Such initiatives are related to the development of local EV infrastructures. One I can cite is the e-App program that maps out locations of active EV charging stations across the country,” Araga explained.

He also cited DOE for the ongoing development of the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), which comes with inter-agency support. The department is also facilitating public consultations regarding the Vehicle Fuel Economy Labeling Program (VFELP) and the Fuel Economy Performance Rating (FEPR).

Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is still preparing its Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is keeping its focus on public utility vehicles (PUVs) modernization, with EV as the priority. Other government agencies are taking their share by including EVs into their fleets (the Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH is leading the pack in terms of compliance to this commitment).

For its part, the private sector is actively investing into putting up more charging stations in strategic locations nationwide and using the latest innovative EV charging technology. Many private companies are also taking the initiative to procure EVs for enhancing their own fleets, highlighting their efforts to lower carbon emissions and lower energy dependency on gasoline.

18 comments:

  1. another thing, even the cheapest of decently sized EV's here is still way off for most consumers.

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    1. I think that's going to change if more Chinese EV makers offer their entry level models officially.

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  2. Are electric cars mote reliable that cars with ICE? Will the battery bloat over time?

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    1. EV battery tech is developing at a rapid pace (better energy density, faster charging, safety).

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  3. The Philippines don't have enough incentives for EV adoption from the government, like rebates for new and recently, used EVs, like in other countries.

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  4. I thought the EVIDA would lower the SRPs of hybrids & EVs?

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  5. it did lower prices but what's offered are still pricy car. Maybe with entry of Chinese cars, expect prices to be very competitive to the lower segment.

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    1. Yep, you're right. For example, AC Motors needs to bring the BYD Seagull to the Philippines.

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    2. You serious?! What Hybrid for example has lowered their price compared to their pre-EVIDA SRPs?

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  6. The Philippines is far from ready for widespread EV adoption. Hybrids and plug-ins should be the way.

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  7. It's the price of EV's and HEV' s that deter people from buying.

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  8. If they're really serious with adoption, they should focus on providing cost-benefit analysis and comparison against non-EV cars. Put it in mass-market format and outlets. Rough computations off my head, there's really no incentive cost-wise to buy an EV over a traditional car, mano-a-mano.
    To my eyes, these EVs are just virtue-signaling status symbols now and for the foreseeable future.

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  9. If prices of ICE cars continue to keep soaring up, probably considering buying a BEV would be a good option.

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  10. Tax breaks for ev importation is sorely needed.

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    1. As well as incentives from the government just like federal tax credit from USA.

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    2. Just look at the jeepneys they don't like to upgrade not because they don't like but because they don't have enough funds and support group.

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  11. Also, the electric vehicles available today are very new. We don't have enough important details yet regarding their reliability, how to fix them when broken, what to do if it runs out of battery, what to do when flooded, and the likes. The current type of batteries used are also not the most perfect fit for BEVs. Experts say it's gonna be the solid-state batteries, which is considered as the holy grail for BEV batteries, though we still have to wait few more years before they'll be commercially available. We also don't know yet if it will live up to expectations or what.

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    1. For the first time, you actually made sense

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