Thinking About Buying an EV in the PH – Advice and Experiences?

Welcome to the forum, hope you find your answers with regards to EV's. My answer is simple, look long and hard and do your sums properly.

For us here they are still well overpriced and difficult to justify even with us off the grid and plenty of power to charge an EV in the garage. My problem is distance driving as well as recharging facilities along the way over the top of initial outlay as well, for us it's not viable until the costs are on par with ICE vehicles and charging points are like gas stations,,,,,,, remember also that generally recharge point charge twice the price per Kw compared to the grid at home.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

The range on a full charge is the critical factor really, coupled with charging facilities on board the vehicle. A fast charger system requires somewhat specialist supply system but if the vehicle can be plugged in to a normal domestic supply the only problem then is how long to charge. Good for overnight.

...Any advice, recommendations, or insights would be greatly appreciated. @islanddoll

If you purchase an EV which uses lithium (Li-ion) batteries, my suggestion is to charge it outdoors, preferably at least 5 metres from any combustibles.

I love the EV concept, but as others have said, the infrastructure (charging stations mostly) is lacking, unless you have a charger at home. I'm not sure if they have installed chargers in IT Park or at Ayala Mall yet, but that would be a logical place. It's not like the US where there have been private and government incentives to build out the infrastructure. A lot of it depends on your needs - commuting within Cebu City could be effective by EV or E-motorbike, but going up to Busay or further yet would deplete the battery quickly due to the steep grade. A small gas-electric hybrid would be my recommendation as they really improve on the efficiency while using normal gas infrastructure, but I am not sure of the availability in the Philippines.

@islanddoll

From here I have heard a lot regarding EVs. Regarding charging stations, it is clear that they are being installed more and more and can already be found in many malls as well as other places, yet it is better not to risk and map your routes. As for the maintenance, some of the parts may be rather difficult to get, but most of the EV brands do offer help in that. The two things I would recommend that anyone do before making the decision to go through with it is to see if there are a lot of service centers for the brand close to you.

I would not recommend it as of now.  The Philippines infrastructure will not support it.  If you have a charging station in your home and intend only drive locally returning home each day then yes.  Parts and maintenance are an issue as they are for even conventional cars.  Japanese cars like a Toyota are a good choice here as they are manufactured in Philippines and have a large footprint.  Good luck. 

@ronlafleur3

Agreed. There is potentially a game changer just around the corner with the transition to EV's. Its called solid state battery technology that Toyota are developing and hope to introduce in 2028. This new battery technology is lighter and holds more energy therefore has a much bigger range. Apparently the product is much more stable too than the lithium-ion batteries.

Almost too good to be true but then again Toyota are not the largest car manufacturer in the world for nothing.

EVs are a bad idea ... today.

Battery tech is improving at light speed, so my answer might well change tomorrow.

The Israelis (and others) are pushing for Sodium and recharging road surfaces, the Chinese are researching everything, and the west is trying to catch up as best they can.

Next up if fusion. If that happens, EVs are going places - Literally and figuratively.