TOKYO, Japan – The Department of Energy (DOE) is in talks with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on the inclusion of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.

In an interview with reporters here, DOE Director Patrick Aquino noted there is already a directive from Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla to the department’s team to raise that particular policy direction on electric mobility covering the public transport sector.

“The Secretary’s instruction to us is to remind DOTr to set a number for the PUV modernization – what will be the firm number for this, because until now, we don’t have a firm number yet,” he said.

He qualified that on the part of the DOE, “every time we do public consultation on EVs, we always say that these (figures) exclude those from the PUV modernization program.”

Aquino indicated the DOTr had already given word that the targeted share of EVs in the PUVMP will be given to the energy department by the end of this month.

Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella emphasized “whatever mandate is given to the DOE - like the push for EVs …we will continue because at the end of the day, we will have a say on this.”

He added that in the country’s electric mobility pathway, the DOE has also been engaging DOTr and other relevant government agencies to proactively communicate the rationale for such policy, including the non-fiscal incentives that consumers could draw on if they would switch vehicle usage.

In particular, the energy official cited the proposed ‘green lanes’, which may come on as enticement for users to shift to EVs because they could have dedicated routes for their everyday drive using their EVs.

At this stage, however, the DOE officials acknowledge that the higher cost of EVs versus internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles remains as a major hurdle for consumers to be converted on their preference toward electric mobility.

And while the aspired EV price points for massive scale commercial rollout has yet to come, the government has been progressively prepping on the infrastructure buildout – primarily for targeted charging facilities as well as the re-electrification of the Philippine power system; then on policy framing such as the unbundled fees in charging these electric vehicles.

On the DOE-prescribed EV deployment under the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), the energy officials specified that the bulk may account for the two-wheelers and three-wheelers that are now also taking their reign in the country’s mobility paragon.