The Department of Energy (DOE) has started publishing the national average for unbundled rates of the electricity vehicle charging stations (EVCS) so these can duly guide consumers on their patronage of this emerging transport system in the country.

In the segregated EV charging station (EVCS) tariff published by the energy department, the average national charging fees for EVs with direct current (DC) technology has been pegged at P26.60 per kilowatt hour (kWh); while the average fee for alternating current (AC) configuration hovers at P27.85 per kWh.

Additionally, the charging fee for battery swapping stations (BSS) had been set at P53.46 per kWh, according to the January 2024 guide-fees circulated by the energy department.

It was explained, in particular, that a BSS is “a facility which allows EV users to exchange a near-empty discharged battery with a fully charged battery.”

The department expounded that charging fee would refer to “the amount imposed on EV users in exchange for the use of commercial use charging stations.”

The unbundling of charges for the EVCS had been prescribed under Republic Act 11697 or Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) and its implementing rules and regulations.

The DOE qualified that the national average of the charging fees it gathered had just been reckoned on the available registered locations of EV charging stations in various parts of the country.

According to the department, the bulk of the EVCS-AC charges at 40.8% had been for electricity fee; then 23.7% represents service fee; 12.7% for maintenance fee and 12.1% for administrative fee; and the balance of 10.7% had been for value added tax (VAT).

For EVCS-DC, the unbundled charges accounted for: 44.4% electricity fee; 14% service fee, 19.1% maintenance fee, 11.8% administrative fee and 10.7% VAT; while for BSS, the charges had been 39.6% electricity fee, 49.7% service fee and 10.7% tax.

In a Circular that was issued by the DOE last year, it primarily mandated that the EVCS providers shall draw up ‘unbundled charges’ on their offer of such services to  EV owners and drivers.

As stipulated in the policy, the EV charging fee could be formulated as: fixed fees; variable or consumption fees; time-based fees; service-based fees, cashless payment or a mixed bag of the proposed methodologies.

For the accredited EVCS providers or operators, the Energy Utilization Management Bureau of the DOE emphasized that it will review “the notices for charging fees for the completeness of unbundled processes.”

The department similarly laid down that “the application of unbundled charging fee of EVCS shall show the coverage on a per city/municipality basis,” – and in cases where multiple cities or municipalities have common unbundling structures, a report covering these regions shall also be enforced.