Marcos orders DOE, agencies: Expedite dev't of e-vehicle industry

On the application deadline for the consolidation of public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. directed Tuesday the Department of Energy (DOE) and other agencies to expedite the enforcement of strategies to develop the electric vehicle industry.

Marcos wants the relevant development strategies to focus on the public transportation sector.

"I just attended the meeting with the President where it was presented by not only the Department of Energy, but also the Department of Transportation, the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), and the DOST (Department of Science and Technology), focusing on what is the latest on the comprehensive roadmap for the electric vehicle industry," Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said during a Palace press briefing.

"We told him that as of 2023, we only have .001% or 7,000 electric vehicles registered out of the 14,300,000 na figure of registered vehicles. So malayo pa tayo (So we have a long way to go). But under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act, these agencies, with the Department of Energy, should push for the promotion of electric vehicles," he added.

The President also directed agencies to focus on supporting the acquisition of electric vehicles through commercial fleets, such as government or private company vehicles and public transportation fleets.

"We are not only looking into the technology but the President also wants us to focus on achieving the numbers by looking at fleet or the group approach, looking at the consumer experience and identifying iyong mga bumubukol na financing (the disadvantageous financing schemes)," the DOE official said.

In relation to this, Marcos directed the consolidation of financial schemes so that the acquisition of electric vehicle fleets would be easier.

The battery of the electric vehicles would be replaced every seven to eight years, according to Fuentebella.

Last February, the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) said it expects an increase in the sale of electric vehicles in the coming years as the public opts for more eco-friendly transportation.

The group said around 2,557 electric vehicles were sold in the country from January to June 2023 alone, which was a 500% increase compared to 426 units sold the entire 2022.

With this, the group expects to sell 6.6 million e-vehicles by 2030.

Transport group PISTON is on the second day of its three-day transport strike to protest the government's PUV Modernization program.

Saying the program threatened their livelihoods, protesters are up in arms over the cost of a modern e-jeepney. With a price tag of up to more than P2 million each, state-run banks Landbank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines earlier said that the cost was not viable for drivers.

Meanwhile, Transportation Undersecretary Ferdinand Ortega on Tuesday said unconsolidated operators and drivers will be notified that their franchises are revoked "a week or two" after the April 30 consolidation deadline. — VDV, GMA Integrated News