Pasang Masda hopes to deploy 40 EVs on the road soon

Transport group Pasang Masda on Sunday said that it is hoping to deploy 40 units of electric vehicles (EVs) within the month amid the rising fuel prices.

"Ito nga pong presyo ng petrolyo...wala po tayong kontrol diyan. Hindi ito regulated. Kaya ang naiisip namin – may gumagana na sa ibang bansa at sa atin may kaunti ng tumatakbo – kami ay maglulunsad ng 40 units ng electric vehicle. Ito ang nakikita naming paraan upang makaiwas sa malaking presyo ng petrolyo," Pasang Masda president Obet Martin said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(When it comes to the price of petroleum... we have no control over that. It's not regulated. That's why we thought, since it's working in other countries and we already have a few running here, we will launch 40 units of electric vehicles. We see this as the way to avoid the high prices of petroleum.)

The group said the initiative is in line with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s recent push to transition to EVs as part of the government's transport modernization efforts.

Marcos said in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July that the government aims to have electric vehicles account for 50% of all vehicles in the country by 2040.

Pasang Masda said they coordinated with the same company behind the government's Love Bus.

"Ito ang aming ilalabas ay tested na po. Ito po 'yung lumalabas na Love Bus ngayon ng GET Philippines. Ayun din po ang kinuha ngayon. We coordinated with GET Philippines...Kompleto po ito ng apps, everything na kailangan sa tap in, tap out," said Martin.

(The ones we will deploy have already been tested. These are the same ones operating as the Love Bus today by GET Philippines. That's also what we got now. We coordinated with GET Philippines... This comes complete with apps, everything needed for tap-in, tap-out.)

Martin added that the 40 EVs they will deploy will ply Commonwealth Avenue (from SM Fairview), España, and Taft Avenue to SM Mall of Asia.

Days after his SONA, Marcos signed an order establishing the Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS) Program to boost local manufacturing of EVs and attract investments through fiscal incentives.

Executive Order No. 121 provides fiscal incentives for the local manufacture of hybrid and battery electric passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and their parts and components. —KG, GMA News