The Pasig City local government has approved an ordinance exempting electric vehicles (EVs) from the number coding system in the city.
Pasig City Ordinance No. 50, Series of 2022, has amended Section 133-A of Ordinance No. 23 or the Revised 2016 Traffic and Parking Management Code of Pasig City, including EVs in the list of exempted vehicles from the mandatory unified vehicular reduction scheme.
The policy covers EVs corresponding to Republic Act (RA) 11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA)'s rules and regulations in defining an EV.
RA 11697 refers to EVs as "a vehicle with at least one electric drive propulsions."
These include Battery EVs that use traction battery as the main power source for vehicle propulsion; Hybrid EVs that use both a rechargeable energy storage system and fueled power source for propulsion; Light EVs or alternative modes of transportation such as electric scooters, electric bicycles, electric personal transport, and other similar vehicles less than 50 kg; and Plug-in Hybrid EVs that use a rechargeable energy storage system plugged from an external electric energy source.
Other future EVs recognized by the Department of Energy (DOE) may also be covered by the ordinance.
Users of EVs are exempted from the number coding scheme for eight years from the effectivity of the ordinance.
Last July 2022, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said he aims to increase the number of EVs in the city, along with other sustainable projects, programs, and activities.
The local government set up a solar-powered e-vehicle charging station, featuring eight charging ports, at the ground floor of the Pasig Mega Parking 2 at the City Hall Complex.
The project was made by the Pasig City Transport and Management Office (CTMO), in partnership with non-governmental organization (NGO) Clean Air Asia, and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP).
To further "accelerate low carbon mobility in the city," the local government collaborated once again with Clean Air Asia, the Urban Electric Mobility Institute, and the European Union (EU) to launch the SolutionsPlus project, which aims to develop "fit-for-purpose e-mobility solutions."
They held a pilot demonstration in December 2022 showcasing prototypes of the electric quadricycle (e-quad) and the Flexible Electric Van (FLEV).