An official of the Department of Energy expressed optimism more electric vehicles (EVs) will hit the road once an executive order clarifying rules on the registration and use of EVs comes out.
A technical working group for the implementation of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (Evida) has already submitted its recommendations to the Office of the President, DOE Director Patrick Aquino, who heads the Energy Utilization Management office, said in an interview on Tuesday, September 2.
“But as you are aware, there have been changes in the secretary, our secretary in DOE, DOTr (Department of Transportation) secretary, and then the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) secretary. So, we’re having an Evida TWG meeting in the coming quarter. We’ll nudge it, and then we’ll check on OP (Office of the President),” he said.
Aquino declined to indicate when the EO will be released, noting that “it’s really hard to tell when it comes to the Office of the President.”
“We’ll check on the recommendations again,” he said.
Among the issues that the EO intends to address are the use of EVs along major roads and their registration, as well as uniform policies among local governments.
Aquino noted the rising number of registered EVs, boosted by more people recognizing the advantage of using these vehicles, after the passage of Evida in 2022.
EV industry data showed actual sales of four-wheeled EVs in 2024 reached 3,880 units, up from 1,028 units in 2023.
For two- and three-wheeled EVs, the units rose to 43,441 units in 2024, from 172 units in 2023.
Registered EVs in the first seven months of 2025 reached 29,715, around the same volume registered for the whole of 2024, Edmund Araga, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines said earlier, citing data from the Land Transportation Office (LTO). (PNA)
