MANILA — The Electric Vehicles Association of the Philippines (EVAP) pushes for more incentives from the government to fast track the growth of the electric vehicle industry in the Philippines, EVAP president Rommel Juan told reporters in an interview Wednesday.
“There must be political will. We need incentives, such as exemption from taxes and duties,” he said on the sidelines of the launch of the 6th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit in Makati City.
Juan said electric vehicles or e-vehicles are becoming mainstream now. “Especially now that pump prices are going up, we need these,” he noted.
He said imported parts would cost the industry players an additional 30 percent if these are not duty-free. “We import motor, charger, controller, and battery. We assemble the parts or the body here,” he pointed out.
He also emphasized that using e-vehicles would be beneficial to the environment, contribute to job creation and to the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.
Earlier, the Department of Energy had an “E-Power Mo” campaign, which pushed for an efficient and environment-friendly mode of transportation like electric tricycles or e-trikes.
The DOE has also been promoting the modernization of the transport sector, suggesting the use of alternative vehicles and energy-efficient technologies.
Since the DOE has started distributing e-trikes to local government units, Juan said he foresees the private sector producing 2000 units more e-trikes within the year.
“Because the DOE has started distributing e-trikes. When you see these units in the streets, that’s the time the public would be aware of it and that’s the time this would click or sell,” he explained.
E-Vehicle Summit
Meanwhile, Juan is inviting the public to visit the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on July 10-11 for the 6th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit.
This year’s theme is “Stepping Up Partnerships to Electrify Public and Private Transport”, focusing on areas of collaboration between the public and private sectors.
There will be conferences to be attended by the academe, the LGUs, and the industry during the two-day event. The public, on the other hand, can view the exhibits, according to Juan.
Nissan and Mitsubishi have joined EVAP and will be co-presenters of the event, he added.
The two are said to showcase their commitment to delivering smarter, safer, sustainable mobility solutions at the exhibit. (Ma. Cristina Arayata/PNA)
