PCAPI pushes for speedy mainstreaming of all EVs; reiterates health benefits for Filipinos

Arguing for its health benefits to Filipinos in long term use, the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines Inc. (PCAPI) has stressed the need to speed up the grant of incentives mostly needed to mainstream electric vehicles EVs.

In an interview, PCAPI Vice President for External Affairs Jeremiah Dwight Sebastian said that Filipinos can benefit from EVs by having “less air pollution, less sick people, and less need to go to the hospital.”

This is due to EVs’ zero tailpipe emissions which reduce carbon emissions and carbon footprints as compared to gasoline-powered cars.

“Electric Vehicles are critical technology to push forward the ‘decarbonization’ effort since this will allow us to have a more flexible option in its energy source… this can also minimize what I believe [is] a major issue of pollution in highly urbanized [communities],” Sebastian said.

The Statista Research Department found that the Philippines’ transport sector in 2021 emitted 31.54 million tons of carbon dioxide.

According to the American Lung Association, transitioning to EVs will help save 110,000 lives, prevent 2.7 million childhood asthma attacks, and over $1.7 trillion in global climate benefits gained in the United States alone.

The shift to EVs is one of the solutions that the government is implementing to decarbonize the Philippines and help weaken the effects of climate change.

Earlier this year, the Philippine government passed Executive Order No. 12 series of 2023 aiming to mainstream the usage of EVs in the country along with the target of slashing the rate of carbon emissions caused by fueled-run vehicles.

Different types of EVs received tax breaks except for the e-motorcycles which are still subject to 30% import duty. This drew the ire of several stakeholders in the EV industry and called for its revision.

“Only more affluent Filipinos — indeed a limited segment of the population — can afford to buy four-wheel vehicles and hence enjoy these incentives… This is why the government must make these tax incentives more inclusive,” said Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship Secretary General Felix Jose Vitangcol.

Motorcycles hold the majority of the motorists in the country, recording more than 7.81 million registered motorcycles in 2022, based on the study by Statista Research Department.

The Department of Energy (DOE) aims to roll out 2,454, 200 EVs, comprising of cars, tricycles, motorcycles, and buses, and 65,000 charging stations nationwide by 2028.

With the revision of the EO12 to include e-motorcycles, it is expected to accelerate the country’s full shift to electric vehicles.