This is the time we live in. In a recent opinion column, a long litany of professionally researched explanations about the mess that is the Philippine electricity supply system was presented. Of course, in this age, everything must have a political overtone with lots of finger pointing at the current administration. Of course, in the case of power, you must go back to the post-Edsa days and the failures then. But that is OK since all missteps can be ultimately excused because democracy was restored.
The reason for any actual and potential shortage of power comes down to the “Big Three Cs”: Corruption, Competency, and Cronyism. The solution to almost any problem in the Philippines is for “someone to start doing their job properly” or things are going to get worse.
The truth, the sad truth, is that everything that this person says is true. The other truth is that this piece can be republished every five years as it probably has in the past. We never seem to get to the point where we have sustainable “perfection.” Forget about the fact that no nation has that sustainability thing nailed down. But some are doing better than others, at least for now.
At the same time as the excellent price on electricity was another excellent article—that the Philippines needs new laws on electric vehicles. Again, thorough research tells us that laws to support electric vehicles in the country are desperately needed to support an industry that is almost dead and to meet government’s goal of increased EV usage.
I follow the global EV industry fairly closely. I watched the Netflix series Fastest Car, which showed me for the first time races between conventional automobiles and electric cars from Tesla to home garage-built cars. As a side note, I grew up in a time when young men came in one of two categories. There were those that had a car primarily because they could fix almost anything on that car. The other group rode in the back seat of that car.
My first major repair was replacing the water pump and radiator on a 1957 Mercury Montclair. You remember events like that just like your first kiss.
I did not even know that the Philippine government had any sort of “goal of increased EV usage.” The truth is that EVs in the West to this point are only on the road because of massive government price subsidies and massive infrastructure spending to keep EVs running on the road. And I am wondering how much taxpayer money is going to be spent on electric cars, which are really a wealthier man’s privilege even in the West. Actually, China is doing good in helping produce a People’s EV.
In fact, there are only—according to the article—12,965 Philippine EVs as of last year, based on data cited by Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines. But the majority are electric tricycles (e-trikes) and two-wheeled vehicles, like maybe fancy EV walkers and chairs for old guys like me. The DTI estimates EVs will reach 300,000 or 21 percent share of total vehicles, largely public utility vehicles (tricycles and jeepneys?) by 2030, increasing further to 50 percent by 2040.
The acceleration of EV racecars is amazing. I want one just to play with, not to go to SMBF.
But here is the confusion. If we are always—at least for the near to medium future—going to have supply problems with electricity, how are we going to charge all those EVS if we ever move beyond the e-trikes and two-wheeled vehicles stage?
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