Philippines considers requiring EV chargers at gas stations from 2025

The Director of the Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB), Patrick Aquino, has stated his plans to introduce the draft legislature in the fourth quarter of 2024, and hopes to issue a mandate next year.

“We’re hopeful that those regulations will come out after public consultation through the fourth quarter of this year or early next year,” explained Director Patrick Aquino. Several details have not been sorted yet, however, such as the number of units to be required, and how the requirement will look. The law would give the DOE the power to reject “construction, operation, or compliance permits if the gasoline station has no ample space for the construction or installation of charging stations, “according to the “web-based newswire service of the Philippine government” Philippine News Agency.

Aquino had a comment on this issue as well, illustrating where this point currently stands in the planning: “Probably we’ll base it on the size. We’ll work with our industry partners in that sector to determine, let’s say, if you have more than four pumps, we’ll put up one… We’ll base it on that. Because you’re also aware that there are smaller stations, which only have one pump, of course, it might be unreasonable for us to require them.”

In addition to the planned fuel station EV-charging requirement, the Filipino DOE also plans to release the updated ‘Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry’ this month, which details “specific targets and activities to ensure a sustainable and just transition to an electrified transport sector in the country,” according to the 2023 version.

Just a few months ago, the Filipino government had also opted to extend its EV import tax exemption until 2028, and saw Vietnamese EV manufacturer VinFast open its first showrooms in July.

pna.gov.ph, doe.gov.ph (old roadmap as PDF)