PH interest in e-vehicles lowest in Southeast Asia, study says

MANILA  -Interest in electric vehicles in the Philippines is the lowest in Southeast Asia, as the local market is apparently held back by the lack of charging stations in the country, a survey by professional services firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd (DTTL) showed.

The survey, conducted from September to October last year, showed that only 25 percent of respondents from the Philippines were interested in or were considering electric vehicles for their next vehicle purchase.

Of the 25 percent, 13 percent preferred electric vehicles (EVs), another 10 percent chose plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) while 3 percent opted for battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Deloitte’s 2023 Global Automotive Consumer Study -which polled about a thousand respondents each from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam- also showed that 72 percent of those surveyed in the Philippines still preferred gas or diesel-powered vehicles, while the remaining 3 percent favored other types of vehicles.

The lack of public EV charging stations was the top concern for Filipino respondents, with 55 percent citing it as a major concern in using full battery-powered electric vehicles.

The time required to charge was also cited as another concern by 51 percent of the respondents, as well as safety issues with battery technology.

Concerns about driving range and the lack of alternate power source at home were also among the concerns cited by 43 percent of the respondents.

“These results underscore the importance of ensuring that a robust infrastructure is in place to support EVs before we can expect consumers to make the switch en masse,” Deloitte Philippines managing partner and chief executive officer Eric Landicho said.

“And we’re not just talking about convenient charging sites. We have to consider if we have the right workforce to service these vehicles wherever the owners may need assistance,” he said.

The Philippines is trying to promote the use of electric vehicles in the country, with the government going as far as reducing import tariffs on some types of electric vehicles (EVs) to zero last January, seeing it as a move toward mainstreaming its use.

Although two-wheeled electric vehicles, such as electric motorcycles and scooters, are currently not included in the government incentive scheme, Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said their inclusion would be taken up in the review of the government’s policy after one year.

“We will review the (executive order) after one year to see whether there is a stronger justification to include these (two-wheeled electric vehicles),” Pascual said during a late-night media briefing on Wednesday.

Despite the seemingly lackluster interest in electric vehicles in the Philippines, other Southeast Asian markets are showing strong signals as more than half of the population seem to have taken a liking to electric vehicles.

Interest is highest in the Singapore market, with 62 percent of respondents from the city-state looking at this new generation of automobiles.

The study found that 36 percent of Singapore respondents favored HEVs, 13 percent chose PHEVs, and another 13 prefer BEVs.

Thailand followed with 60 percent, Vietnam with 44, Malaysia with 41, and Indonesia with 40 percent.