THE Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (Evap) expects close to 40,000 electric vehicles (EVs) plying the Philippine roads by end of this year, its president said.
“Modest numbers, I may say, and I think you will agree with me. But the level of growth we are currently experiencing for the industry is unprecedented,” Evap President Rommel Juan said in his speech during the Fourth Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit.
The number already includes the 15,750 EVs sold in 2014. Evap said 15,000 e-bikes and motorcycles, 500 e-trikes and 250 e-jeepneys were sold last year.
This year Evap expects some 23,500 EVs to be sold. The number includes some 20,000 e-bikes or e-motorcycles, 3,000 e-trikes and 500 e-jeepneys. For e-trikes alone, Evap said this will grow by “as much as 500 percent” this year.
“We therefore estimate that by end of 2015, we will have a total of about close to 40,000 EVs on Philippine roads,” Juan said.
Overall, the target of EVAP is to have 1 million EVs rolling on Philippine roads by 2020.
“Yes, we are far from 1 million EVs but we are getting there at a faster rate and with greater intensity. All we need to do is just sustain the gains we have achieved, maintain the momentum, and we will reach our goal by 2020,” Juan added.
The target can be achieved given the ongoing developments in the EV sector, he added.
E-trikes are currently deployed in some parts of the metropolis. Some schools have implemented their own in-campus e-jeeps. Juan said EVs are also being embraced in tourist destinations, such as Boracay, Davao and Surigao, with member e-trike manufacturer Tojo Motors leading the pack.
Cities and central business districts are now also adopting EVs into their public-transport landscape, with Makati City introducing its very successful Makati Green Route eight years ago. Their e-jeepneys were the very first e-jeepneys to receive the orange Land Transportation Office license plates reserved for EVs. On the other hand, their Makati Green Route was the very first mass-transport operation of e-jeepneys to receive a Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board franchise. The most recent fleet of e-jeepneys launched was the 360 Eco Loop in Filinvest City, Alabang.
“We would love to believe that the nation has now accepted electric vehicles as a viable alternative mode of transport. We continue sustaining our gains and, pretty soon, we can finally lay claim to the title Electric Vehicle Hub of Southeast Asia,” Juan said.
Lenie Lectura