New incentives program for electric vehicles seen ‘more inclusive’
GREEN FLEET Electric vehicles at Ayala Land charging hub. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The government’s new incentives program for electric vehicles (EVs) will cover a wider range of vehicle categories and industry participants than the previous scheme, a high-ranking trade official said.
Board of Investments Executive Director for Industry Development Services Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa told the Inquirer on Tuesday that the Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (Evis) program would be “more inclusive” than the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program.
“It won’t be limited to a number of models or participants. It will cover all segments of EVs unlike CARS, which is for four-wheeled vehicles only,” she said.
She added that fiscal support for EVIS would not be scaled back, suggesting it could match or even exceed the P27 billion allocated for the CARS program.
She said the proposal had been submitted to the interagency Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB), which would evaluate and endorse it before forwarding it to the Office of the President for final approval.
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Rising demand
READ: Global electric car sales rose by 25% in 2024
Sales of EVs in the Philippines could increase by 7 percent this year, hitting an annual purchase volume of 20,000 units for the first time.
Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) president Rommel Gutierrez said this in February, signaling optimism as consumer interest grows and policy support for e-mobility gains traction.
READ: EV sales in PH seen hitting 20,000 in 2025
Based on Campi data, EVs accounted for about 4 percent of total industry sales. With overall sales reaching 467,252 units in 2024, this translates to 18,690 EVs sold during the year.
Local sales of EVs, including hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles, have been steadily increasing in recent years.
Sales rose from 187 units in 2019 to 344 units in 2020 and 810 units in 2021. Campi has not released EV sales figures for 2022 and 2023. INQ
