The Department of Energy (DOE) said on Wednesday that electric vehicle (EV) sales accounted for 24.7 percent of total vehicle sales in the Philippines in January to August, with 66,685 EVs sold out of an estimated 270,124 total vehicles.
The 66,685 EVs sold include 29,649 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), 20,716 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and 16,320 battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
As of August, the country has 949 recognized EV models and 1,876 registered EV charging stations nationwide.
The DOE said it will strengthen safety and emergency-response preparedness to ensure that the country’s rapidly growing EV fleet is supported by safe charging, responsible vehicle use, and trained first responders. Additionally, the government is offering up to P60 billion in fiscal support via the Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS) to boost domestic industry investments.
‘As adoption increases, our responsibility is to make sure that the infrastructure, policies, and safety capabilities needed to support these vehicles keep pace,’ DOE Secretary Sharon Garin said.
‘The growth of electric mobility must go hand in hand with safety. Drivers need to know how to charge and operate EVs properly, while our first responders must be equipped to act safely and effectively during emergencies. These capabilities are essential to building public confidence in electric mobility.’
The expansion supports the objectives of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) and the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), including the Clean Energy Scenario target of a 50-percent EV fleet share by 2040.
The DOE said it will continue working with industry stakeholders, local government units, and emergency-response teams to expand consumer safety information and roll out regional responder workshops across the country, while advancing the infrastructure and investments needed to support the continued growth of electric mobility in the Philippines.