EV Industry Groups Welcome Marcos' Signal on Transport Electrification

MANILA, Philippines — An alliance of electric vehicle (EV) industry groups in the Philippines has welcomed President Marcos’ support for transport electrification in his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona). “The announcement of President (Marcos) is a clear statement that EVs are now the new norm in the automotive industry,” Edmund Araga, president of the Asian Federation of Electric Vehicles Association (Afeva), said. “We appreciate the full support of the national government.” Afeva is composed of EV industry groups from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Laos. In his penultimate Sona on Monday, Mr. Marcos, whose administration is finalizing an incentives program for EV manufacturers to accelerate the country’s transition, touted EVs for helping cushion some Filipinos from the surge in fuel prices brought about by the Iran war. The President also said the country’s EV transition would be supported by measures such as the extension of zero tariffs on EV imports until 2028, as well as projects such as the Love Bus and electric articulated buses to be deployed in Davao. Mr. Marcos also called on more transport operators to shift to EVs. Despite welcoming the administration’s direction, Araga, who also served as president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines, said the long-term success of the country’s EV transition would depend on sustained implementation. “The only concern that is still essential is the sustainability of the program in rolling out the implementation of Evida (Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act) Law through Crevi (Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry),” he said. Released in 2022, the Crevi targets EVs to account for 50 percent of vehicles on Philippine roads by 2040. It also aims to deploy at least 2.45 million EVs and between 7,300 and 66,500 charging stations nationwide. INQ