Can you afford to run an Electric vehicle in the Philippines?

[ASEAN NOW News]

With the pump prices of gasoline and diesel increasing every day due to the crisis in Ukraine, members of the House of Representatives are urging the government to subsidise fuel, to help fight inflation.

 

Naturally there has been a renewed interest in vehicles that run on alternative sources of power among Filipinos.

One of the most interesting alternatives is electric vehicles or EVs. But is the Philippines ready for it and can people afford to buy an electric car?

 

According to the Department of Energy, policies and guidelines for all stakeholders must be in place to attract the necessary investments and effectively integrate EVs and EV charging stations in a robust and sustainable energy system.

 

 

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said that the department is pursuing the deployment of 20,000 imported EVs and putting up 5,000 EV charging stations for the next five years. This, he said, would cut fuel use by over 145 million liters or an equivalent of P8 billion in terms of fuel costs.

 

The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) is optimistic that the issuance of the charging infrastructure guidelines and policy by the DOE will help motivate businesses to put up and adopt EV charging stations by providing fiscal incentives.

 

For the past decade, total EV registration in the country reached only 12,965, but the number includes not only e-cars, but also e-trikes, e-motorcycles, and e-jeepneys. From 1,570 units in 2019, registration dropped by 35 percent to 1,015 units.

 

A recent study by Frost & Sullivan revealed that Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand are the top three nations in Southeast Asia with the highest inclination to adopt EVs.

 

The same study showed that the top three factors that will motivate ASEAN consumers to buy electric cars are better safety standards, environmental awareness, and the low cost of charging the vehicle.

 

The price of the electric car is obviously a huge determining factor. According to zigwheels.ph, there are a total of 11 electric car models available in the Philippines, the cheapest of which is Changan EADO EV360 2021 at P1.8 million and the most expensive one being Jaguar I-Pace 2021 at P7.59 million.

 

Apparently, you can import electric cars in the Philippines, and you can legally register it to make it road legal, however it will be costly

 

Electric vehicles can provide many benefits. First and probably the most important is that you do not have to concern yourself anymore with the price of gasoline and diesel.

 

Second is that by buying EVs, you will help reduce air pollution.

 

Third, EVs are said to be cheaper to maintain because they have fewer moving parts prone to break down compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, not to mention there no longer will be any need for periodic oil changes.

 

 

Unfortunately, there are very few quick-charging stations currently available across the country.

 

Hopefully, the proposed Electric Vehicles Charging Stations Act, which will require, among other things, that gasoline stations provide EV charging stations and provide fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for the importation, use, and manufacture of EVs, will speed up the creation of the needed enabling infrastructure for EVs in the country.

 

So, if you cannot cope with surging fuel prices or do not have enough cash to buy your own EV then you will probably need to jump on a bike.

 

Not only will you lose weight, but you will have more Pesos in your pocket too.

 

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