Electric-vehicle industry roadmap may be implemented by Feb. 2023 -- EVAP

The Philippines’ electric-vehicle (EV) industry may finally get its long-awaited roadmap by early next year.

“Most probably, they're looking at full implementation by February 2023,” Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) president Edmund Araga told AutoFun Philippines at the sidelines of the Nov. 24, 2022 launch of Solarius EV Charging in Makati City.

EVAP is the Philippines’ largest EV organization, composed of carmakers, manufacturers, energy firms, and the academe.

Araga was referring to the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), which will serve as the country's framework for developing four aspects of the EV sector:

• EVs and charging stations

• Manufacturing

• Research and development

• Human-resource development

CREVI is provided under Section 6 of Republic Act 11697 or the “Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act,” which lapsed into law on Apr. 15, 2022 under then-President Rodrigo Duterte.

The law provides various non-fiscal incentives to EV owners, such as exemptions from number-coding schemes implemented by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and local government units. 

In addition, EV owners get priority at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for all their registration concerns, along with a 30-percent discount for battery EVs and a 15-percent discount for hybrid EVs for the motor vehicle user's charge, vehicle registration and inspection fees.

Mandatory EV fleets

CREVI will also set the timeframe for when industrial and commercial companies, public transport operators and government agencies will be required to have fleets that are at least five percent EV.

The framework aims to transition these sectors to become fully electric.

The law also mandates significant changes in infrastructure for EVs, including the construction of dedicated EV parking slots and charging stations in all new public and private establishments. Buildings that will be renovated must also comply with EV parking requirements.

The government will likewise set up "green routes" specifically for EVs and harmonize traffic rules for areas that accommodate electric and non-electric vehicles.

Do you think the Philippines is ready for a full-blown electric revolution?