The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) is holding the 13th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) from September 23 to 25, 2025, at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The association maintains its confidence that the country’s electric vehicle (EV) sector will continue to gear up towards more sustainable, innovative, and transformative mobility for more Filipinos.
At the pre-event press conference held in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City on August 27th, EVAP President Edmund Araga said he is expecting EV adoption in the country to further rise amid supportive government policies, consistent volatility in petrol costs, and the entry of more players. “It is high time to shift to EV. There are currently more choices when it comes to EV models and brands,” he said.
Based on EV stakeholders’ submissions compiled and released by the Department of Energy (DOE) and EVAP, the actual sales of 4-wheeled EVs increased by 277.5 percent in 2024 to 3,880 units from 1,028 units sold in 2023. Of the three categories of EVs, battery electric cars (BEVs) made up over 75 percent, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) comprised 23 percent, and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) accounted for the remaining two percent.
For the 2- and 3-wheeled categories, sales rocketed by 25,156 percent to 43,441 units in 2024 from just 172 in 2023. Of those units, almost 93 percent were Category L2 or 2-wheeled EVs. Category L1, or lower-power 2-wheel EVs, accounted for almost 7 percent, while category L5, or 3-wheeled motor EVs, comprised 0.28 percent.
Growing network of charging stations
The accelerating sales of EVs is logically complemented by a growing network of EV charging stations in key cities across the nation. The Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI) aims to install 7,300 EV charging stations (EVCS) nationwide by 2028, from about 300 in 2023 and 992 so far this year (2025). Industry organizations and analysts are confident that this short-term goal could still be attained with the right interventions and policies. CREVI policies are in place to meet a target of installing 20,400 EVCS by 2040, when the volume of EVs nationwide is expected to grow to at least 2.5 million. It should be noted, though, that according to Director Patrick Aquino of the Department of Energy, the (Philippine) government does not have the budget to put up charging stations and is therefore solely relying on the private sector to achieve the CREVI targets.
Based on data from the DOE, 12 percent of public charging stations are located in malls, with SM Supermalls having the most, with 69. This is followed by Ayala Malls with 31, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls with 5, and Robinsons Malls with 4. The majority of these are in Metro Manila. Outside the capital region, 14 public charging stations can be found in Cebu City, 7 in Davao, and at least one in Legazpi, Naga, and Sorsogon in the Bicol region. The rest are spread across key cities nationwide.
“The robust EV sector is hoping that the national government would remain on track to achieving improvement in necessary infrastructure, from installing more EVCS nationwide to expanding local EV manufacturing and assembly and supporting development of innovative technologies, particularly in batteries. This way, we could ensure a continuous speed in EV adoption among Filipinos,” Araga said.
Promising measures that drive growth
In September 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated the first lithium battery factory in the country, located in Tarlac. StB Giga Factory Inc. manufactures advanced lithium iron phosphate batteries that are used primarily in renewable energy and EV sectors. It positioned PH as a clean energy storage manufacturer not just in the region but also in the world and is set to produce batteries that could power up to 18,000 EVs annually when it hits full capacity in 2030.
In June this year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) lodged for approval the new Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS). Upon approval by the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB), the new strategy could generate up to P11.4 trillion in economic output and create up to 680,000 local jobs involved in EV assembly, battery production, EVCS installation, and maintenance services. EVIS is still anchored on the Electric Vehicle Development Act (EVIDA) that has been fueling the growth of EVs since the law was implemented in 2022.
“The EV sector is unstoppable. There are more productive and insightful discussions plus a grand showcase of the latest innovations, industry collaborations, and new EV models coming at this year’s PEVS, with the theme ‘Charge Ahead, Ignite the EVolution.’ We invite all stakeholders and the general public to join us from October 23 to 25 at the SMX Convention Center Manila. Don’t get left behind in the accelerating EV revolution,” Araga concluded.
For more in information about the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, visit https://pevsummit.com/.