Consultations on how to efficiently put up around 7,300 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations nationwide until 2028 will start this year, an official of the Department of Energy (DOE) said Wednesday.

In an interview on the sidelines of the pre-event press conference for the 13th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit in Taguig City, Patrick Aquino, DOE Energy Utilization Management Bureau Director IV, explained that the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) does not mandate the government to offer a subsidy program for the private sector to put up charging stations.

Thus, he said the plan is to “work with our stakeholders (so) that the implementation makes sense.”

To date, there are nearly 1,100 charging stations, mostly in urban areas, he said. Registered EVs as of end-July this year are around 29,715.

Aquino said making charging stations commercial in nature will entice the private sector to put up facilities in areas where it has high demand, such as gasoline stations and establishments along expressways and in urban areas.

“I repeat, the government does not subsidize charging stations, so it has to be commercial. So, the way we are going to implement the provisions of EVIDA is going to be commercial so that a private sector (player) can come in. It will make sense to them to go into this business,” he said.

Aquino said priority areas are the National Capital Region (NCR), Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, and Negros Island Region, which registered a notable rise in EV sales.

He said they have already received intentions from a private firm, which he did not identify, that intends to put up around 3,000 charging stations in commercial areas; and an EV group that plans to put up around 1,000 charging stations in the next two to three years. (PNA)