PH EV bill expected to be signed by President Duterte soon

It’s becoming more apparent that the reign of internal combustion engines (ICE) will soon come to an end as electric vehicles (EV) are charging their way to become the future of mobility. Several countries have already announced their respective policy that bans ICE or fossil fuel cars, prompting car manufacturers to fast-track EV development.

Electric vehicles are the future of mobility

Jumping into the EV trend might not be that popular yet in the Philippines due to a number of reasons. One of which is the local market’s lack of awareness when it comes to EVs as well as the lack of accessible charging stations. Despite the said reasons, Frost & Sullivan Senior Vice President Vivek Vaidya shared that 45-percent of Filipinos are considering the possibility of purchasing an EV.

The local market’s concerns about EVs could soon have answers once the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) is signed into law. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that the EVIDA, which is a reconciled version of Senate Bill 1382 and House Bill 10213, is already approved and just needs the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The EVIDA includes a Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI) that aims to accelerate the development, commercialization, and utilization of EVs. The CREVI will also set the standards and specifications of EVs, charging stations, parts and components, batteries, and related facilities.

EV bill will mandate the installation of charging stations

The Senator added that CREVI determines the timeframe for establishing dedicated parking slots for EVs, installation of charging stations, and mandatory EV share in corporate and government fleets. The CREVI emphasizes that there should be at least five percent dedicated parking slots for EVs. It also gives incentives to EV users such as exemption from number coding, and priority in registration and renewal.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on energy, said that the proposed law "emphasizes the importance of the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry-- or CREVI--as the document that will set the pace of the rollout of the EV industry.” As such, CREVI will serve as the country’s road map in kickstarting the EV shift.

The EV bill could help in kickstarting EV adoption in the Philippines

The said EV bill is up for President Duterte’s signature. Gatchalian expects Duterte will sign the bill soon, citing that it could be sometime in February or March.

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