EV demand soars amid fuel price hikes, waiting times extend up to 4 weeks

The demand for electric vehicles has gone up, with waiting times for units extending from just three days to as much as four weeks, amid the massive fuel price hikes caused by the Middle East conflict, said an officer of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines.

According to  Oscar Oida’s report on “24 Oras,” EVAP corporate secretary Mark Rola said there have been increased inquiries about electric vehicles because of the huge increases in the price per liter of fuel.

“Since madami na nag-i-inquire ngayon at yung influx ng mga tao, nagkakaroon na tayo ng traction sa EV,” Rola said. “Ang nangyayari po ngayon, yung dating 3 days, meron ka nang EV ngayon, sir, pumipila na kami ng around two to three to four weeks bago ka magkaroon, sir."

(There has been an increase in inquiries and the influx of people, and we are gaining traction with EV. What used to take three days for you to have an EV, now, we are waiting in line for around 2 to 3 to 4 weeks before you have one, sir.)

However, there is the challenge of having enough charging stations.

The target number is 7,300 by 2028. The country at present only has 900.

“Sobrang layo pa ng taget natin sa 2018 pero currently right now with the help of DOE and other private investors humahabol tayo sa charging infrastructures natin,” Rola said.

“Kaya po nakikipag tulungan din po tayo s atiantawag natjn na renewable energy may geothermal power tayo, solar, wind, and wind farm,” he added.

(Our target for 2018 is still far off, but with the help of DOE and other private investors, we are pursuing our charging infrastructure. That’s why we are also helping with what we call renewable energy, we have geothermal power, solar, wind, and wind farms.) –NB, GMA Integrated News