July 18, 2019 | 12:30 am
ELECTRIC
VEHICLES are here to stay because China is investing heavily in the manufacture
of these cars and the production of their batteries, but the Philippines needs
to do more to encourage greater adoption of EVs.
This is the belief of
some members of the industry as well as government officials, who shared their
view on the status of “green” car usage locally during the 7th
Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit held on Wednesday at the SMX Convention
Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.
“China is going into
the electric vehicle space in a big way,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian told
participants of the conference to answer what he said were persistent questions
on whether EVs in the Philippines are just a fad.
He said China has been
driving the growth of EVs and is projected to corner one-fourth of sales by
2040.
With that country’s
influence in the global market, others will be in a good position by preparing
for wider adoption of EVs, as Mr. Gatchalian narrated contents of a bill he
plans to push when Congress is back in session.
He said pricing would
also be a factor in the greater use of these vehicles. He expects parity with
internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, or those powered by fossil fuels, to
be reached by 2024. “In the next five years, the prices will be the same,” he
said. “The [price] component for battery will also shrink.”
Ferdinand I.
Raquelsantos, chairman emeritus of the Electric Vehicle Association of the
Philippines, said Chinese companies were among the participants in this year’s
summit. Some are in talks with local companies for possible partnerships, he
said.
“For me, right now we
are already in parity with ICE. If you’ve seen some of the vehicles inside,
like the passenger cars, they’re very much competitive as far as their pricing
right now,” Mr. Raquelsantos said in an interview.
“What more once the
bill gets passed,” said Mr. Raquelsantos, who is also president of Philippine
Utility Vehicle, Inc. (PhUV).
He was referring to Mr.
Gatchalian’s Senate Bill No. 2137, which seeks to address the challenges to the
development of the EV industry by instructing the Department of Energy (DoE) to
draw up a “road map” and for distribution utilities to include charging
infrastructure in their power development plan.
Mr. Raquelsantos said
new charging stations should include standards or protocols being used in
China, which he said could be the source of possible EV parts that could be assembled
locally.
“Our charging stations
should have those combinations,” he said, referring to the different standards
being used in Japan, United States and Europe.
DoE Assistant Secretary
Leonido J. Pulido III agreed that the prospects for EVs in the Philippines have
never been better.
“I believe there will
come a period or a time when electric vehicles would be the most prevalent type
of vehicle on the road,” Mr. Pulido said.
“And it’s a matter of
time — it will happen — the question is when.”
“But for it to happen
sooner, the government and the private sector have to be more aggressive,” Mr.
Pulido said.
Recent initiatives
introduced by the government include an order of the Department of
Transportation (DoTr) for the issuance of “tourist franchises” for electric
tricyles.
“[DoTr] signed a
department order allowing e-trike as tourist franchise in environmentally
critical zones or tourism areas, for example Boracay, Intramuros, as defined by
Department of Tourism,” DoTr Undersecretary Mark Richmund M. De Leon said.
He also said the
government is looking at requiring a percentage of its fleet to be electric
vehicles. He said numbers were being finalized by the Department of Budget and
Management. — Victor V. Saulon
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