DOST: Invest in EVs
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is tapping local government units (LGUs) and the private sector to invest in Filipino-made electric vehicles (EVs) to scale up production and reach more public utility drivers wanting to save on fuel costs.
Since the Middle East conflict broke, EVs have become an attractive alternative to avoid paying expensive fuel.
The DOST has developed prototypes of EVs such as electric tricycles and converted tricycles that they are pitching to LGUs – a campaign that has begun even before the war to promote sustainable technologies.
“We’ve been talking to local government leaders and we have various modalities of engagement just to provide a proof of concept to convince our drivers to transition,” DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said this week during the 2nd Sustainability Expo, the agency’s program in partnership with SM Prime and ARISE Philippines.
Electric vehicle research projects originate from Tuguegarao City, where Cagayan State University (CSU) hosts the country’s sole dedicated hub focusing on green transport innovation – the Electromobility Research and Development Center.
The center’s very first project is developing an electric tricycle capable of carrying seven passengers.
Electric tricycles are now deployed in Tuguegarao City, Cauayan City, Batanes, Iloilo and parts of Metro Manila, according to the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD).
Solidum said three companies, including an agricultural firm from Isabela, are already lining up to mass-produce electric tricycles.
Elmer Francisco, chairman of Francisco Motors, the 79-year-old homegrown jeepney brand that recently launched the first Filipino-made electric sport utility vehicle, is appealing for more government support for the local EV industry.
“We haven’t had any support from our government for decades,” Francisco told “The Big Story” on One News on Thursday. “Actually, the last time we had real support from the government was from the father of President Marcos and the former first lady, wherein what we call government support is government procurement.”
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