Law on alternative fuel vehicles sought

LOCAL e-vehicle makers yesterday renewed the push for a law on alternative fuel vehicles (AFV), which they said could help boost the market as it was  expected to reduce prices of e-vehicles by 30 percent.

According to Bodie Pulido, executive director of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), the government stands to collect P1.67 billion in taxes from the emerging industry with support from an AFV law.

“Furthermore, [the industry may generate] some 10,000 new jobs in both upstream and downstream sectors,” Pulido said.

“We hope that we keep the momentum and even build on these gains,” he added. “We have committed to implement more programs as well as continue the programs that have been started.”

The lawyer said such momentum might be kept through initiatives like the annual Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, which the group had been organizing since 2011.

This year’s summit, slated for Feb. 26-27 at the Meralco Multipurpose Hall in Pasig City, will continue to serve as a venue for most local EV companies and foreign counterparts to meet and forge business partnerships through joint ventures.

In January, the Philippine Utility Vehicle (PhUV) Inc. said it expected to sell 500 units of e-jeepneys this year as it was anticipating greater adoption of battery-powered vehicles in the country.

PhUV president Ferdi Raquelsantos said the e-jeepneys that the group would sell were intended for deployment in new routes in Metro Manila and replace ageing, diesel-fueled public utility jeepneys.

The recent developments have driven PhUV to be very optimistic with the view that this year, “EV sales will finally fly.”

According to market research firm IDTechEx, an emerging market for EVs in the Philippines is expected to help propel the global market for nonconventional vehicles, with sales of some $10 billion over the next decade.