Taguig city: Consultations on how to efficiently establish approximately 7,300 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the nation by 2028 will commence this year, a Department of Energy (DOE) official announced on Wednesday. Patrick Aquino, DOE Energy Utilization Management Bureau Director IV, shared this information during a pre-event press conference for the 13th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit in Taguig City.

According to Philippines News Agency, Aquino clarified that the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) does not require the government to provide a subsidy program for the private sector to develop charging stations. Instead, the strategy involves collaborating with stakeholders to ensure the implementation is practical and effective.

Currently, there are nearly 1,100 charging stations, primarily located in urban areas, while registered EVs numbered around 29,715 as of the end of July this year. Aquino emphasized that making charging stations commercially viable will attract private sector investment, particularly in high-demand locations such as gasoline stations and establishments along expressways and in urban centers.

Aquino stated, “The government does not subsidize charging stations, so it has to be commercial. The implementation of EVIDA will be commercial to encourage private sector participation. It will make sense for them to enter this business.”

Priority areas identified for expansion include the National Capital Region (NCR), Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, and Negros Island Region, all of which have experienced significant growth in EV sales. Aquino also mentioned receiving expressions of interest from an undisclosed private firm planning to establish about 3,000 charging stations in commercial areas and an EV group intending to build around 1,000 charging stations in the next two to three years.

DOE data indicates that 12 percent of the current EV charging stations are located in NCR-based malls, including 69 in SM Malls, 31 in Ayala Malls, five in Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, and four in Robinson’s Malls. Outside of NCR, there are 14 charging stations in Cebu City, seven in Davao, and at least one each in Legazpi City, Naga, and Sorsogon in the Bicol Region.