Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a bill seeking to accelerate the country’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs), citing the need to reduce dependence on imported oil and shield the economy from global fuel price volatility.
“We need to break our economy’s dependence on foreign oil by accelerating the transport sector’s shift to EVs,” Gatchalian said, noting that spikes in global crude and refined petroleum prices have led to some of the steepest increases in domestic fuel costs.
Senate Bill No. 2270 proposes amendments to Republic Act No. 11697, or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), a law originally authored by Gatchalian.
The measure seeks to extend the validity of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives from 8 to 12 years and to impose a 0% import duty on electric vehicles, as well as related equipment and charging infrastructure.
It also introduces additional non-fiscal incentives for EV users, including waived or discounted parking fees, toll-free access to dedicated EV expressway lanes, and a “Buy Now, Register Later” program.
Under the proposal, the minimum allocation of exclusive EV parking slots would also be increased to 20% of total parking spaces, with a 5% increment every five years.
The Department of Energy (DOE) earlier said that permitting delays are slowing the rollout of EV charging stations in the country, a key constraint on expanding EV adoption nationwide.