By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is pushing for investment incentives to promote the electric mobility (e-mobility) industry, Malacañang said Tuesday.
This, as Marcos raised with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) some of the challenges that hinder the development of the e-mobility sector.
During a sectoral meeting with the DOST and concerned agencies at Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, Marcos discussed ways to boost the Philippine e-mobility industry through science, technology, and innovation.
“We’re always running into the same problem. It’s the scaling, production design, then the investment. How do we (attract investments)? ‘Yun ang hardest part of this,” Marcos said, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
“We need investors to come in. Of course, we’ll provide incentives from the government. That’s what we need to do. We need incentives for investors to come in. Hopefully local. But we’ll take anybody who’s interested,” he added.
Marcos acknowledged investors’ role in undertaking the production design to scale up the e-mobility sector “to actually make a difference to the market.”
DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. told Marcos that potential investors, as well as manufacturers and fabricators, are just waiting for a policy statement from the government.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is creating a strategic roadmap under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) to formulate policies and come up with possible incentives to support electric vehicles (EVs).
Another government initiative is the partnership with locally owned ToJo Motors to determine the necessary policies to make it conducive for locally manufactured EVs, specifically e-trikes and e-jeepneys, to operate in the country.
Solidum said e-trikes would soon be mass produced in Isabela, noting that many customers are waiting for its availability in the market.
He said officials in General Santos City, as well as tricycle operators, are also interested.
Solidum said local agri-machinery manufacturers could help speed up the e-trike production, adding that the DOST has also developed a hybrid electric train and an electric boat.
The DOST has been pursuing initiatives across the EV value chain, prioritizing local expertise and designs.
It is also implementing an e-mobility program map, which includes the conversion of conventional tricycles and buses into electric ones.
Solidum said the e-mobility industry will create more jobs on maintenance, after-sales service, and other services.
As of Oct. 18, there are 25,196 registered EVs and 705 EV charging stations (EVCS) in the country, with 92 accredited EVCS providers.
The EVCS providers have so far generated 10,407 new jobs and some PHP1.99 billion in investments.
