Declaration of Policy.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to:
(a) Ensure the country's energy security and independence by reducing reliance on imported fuel for the transportation sector;
(b) Provide an enabling environment for the development of electric vehicles including options for micromobility as an attractive and feasible mode of transportation to reduce dependence on fossil fuels;
(c) Promote and support innovation in clean, sustainable, and efficient energy to accelerate social progress and human development by encouraging public and private use of low emission and other alternative energy technologies;
(d) Protect the health and well-being of the people from the hazards of pollution and the greenhouse effect;
(e) Safeguard and improve the integrity, reliability, and stability of the country's electric power grid by optimizing the location of energy sources relative to demand;
(f) Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization while recognizing the role of the private sector in order to support the transition to new technologies, generate jobs, spur small and medium enterprise growth, attract investments, grow globally competitive and innovative industries, and upgrade the country's participation in regional and global value chains, consistent with the Philippine Development Plan and the country's international obligations under the United Nationals Sustainable Development Agenda;
(g) Generate employment opportunities for our local skilled workforce to sustain their livelihood;
(h) Protect and safeguard the country's cultural heritage through the Philippine transportation system, which remain an underlying factor in progress and innovation; and
(i) Recognize the role of local government units (LGUs) as competent partners of the national government in the smooth transition to this innovation by providing them capacity-building support.
Scope and Application.
SEC. 3. Scope and Application. - This Act shall apply to the manufacture, assembyler, importation, construction, installation, maintenance, trade and utilization, research and development, and regulation of electric vehicles, charging stations and related equipment, parts and components, batteries, and related support infrastructure.
Definition of Terms.
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms shall be defined as stated below:
(a) Battery electric vehicle (BEV) refers to an electrically propelled vehicle with only a traction battery as power source for vehicle propulsion;
(b) Battery swapping station refers to a facility which allows electric vehicle users to exchange a near-empty discharged battery with a fully charged battery;
(c) Centralized vehicle-to-grid facilities refer to establishment which are allowed to supply power to the grid using electric vehicles;
(d) Certificate of Inspection refers to a document issued by the building official of an LGU as a requirement for the installation of power lines to a building or structure to certify the completeness of the installation of all electrical wirings, pursuant to Republic Act No. 6541 as revised by Presidential Decree No. 1096, otherwise known as the "National Building Code of the Philippines";
(e) Charging fee refers to the amount imposed on electric vehicle users in exchange for the use of commercial use charging stations. Its individual components shall be unbundled pursuant to regulations issued by the Department of Energy (DOE);
(f) Charging stations refers to a facility with equipment for the delivery of electrical energy to electric vehicles or its battery, installed in an enclosure with special control functions and communications, and may be located off the vehicle. For purposes of this Act, charging stations shall include battery swapping stations;
(g) Charging station service provider refers to a natural or juridical person, duly accredited by the DOE, who sells, constructs, install, maintains, owns, or operates charging stations or any of its components for a fee;
(h) Commercial use charging stations refer to the utilization of a charging stations by the general public or a defined group of individuals;
(i) Distribution system refers to the system of wires and associated facilities belonging to a distribution utility, extending between the delivery points on the transmission, subtransmission system, or generating plant connection and the point of connection to the premises of the end-user;
(j) Distribution utility (DU) refers to any electric cooperative, private corporation, or government-owned utility which has a franchise or authority to operate a distribution system including those whose franchise or authority covers economic zones;
(k) Electric vehicle (EV) refers to a vehicle with at least one (1) electric drive for vehicle propulsion. For purposes of this Act, it includes a BEV, hybrid-electric vehicle, light electric vehicle, and a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle;
(l) EV industry refers to the manufacture, importation, assembly, construction, installation, maintenance, trade and utilization, research and development, and regulation of EVs, charging stations and related equipment, parts and components, batteries, and other related support infrastructure;
(m) Green routes refer to public transportation routes identified and designated by provinces, cities, and municipalities and approved by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to be exclusively traversed by electric public utility vehicles (PUVs);
(n) Hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) refers to a vehicle with both a rechargeable energy storage system and a fueled power source for propulsion;
(o) Importer refers to any individual, partnership, corporation, or other entity, incorporated, organized, and existing under Philippine laws, engaged in the importation of completely built units of EV, charging stations and related equipment, parts and components, and batteries;
(p) Just transition refers to globally recognized principles that should guide the transition to environmentally sustainable economies and societies;
(q) Light electric vehicles refer to EVs such as an electric scooters, electric bicycles, electric personal transport, and other similar vehicles weighing less than fifty kilograms (50 kg);
(r) Manufacturer or assembler refers to any individual, partnership, corporation, or other entity incorporated, organized, and existing under Philippine laws, engaged in the manufacture and assembly of EVs, charging stations and related equipment, parts and components, and batteries;
(s) Micromobility refers to alternative modes of transportation which are provided by light electric vehicles;
(t) Own-use charging stations refer to the utilization of a charging station exclusively by an individual;
(u) Plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle refers to an HEV with rechargeable energy storage system that can be charged from an external electric energy sources;
(v) Private buildings and establishments refer to residential, commercial, and industrial structures owned or leased by private natural or juridical persons, and in the case of commercial and industrial structures, whose goods and services are available to the public;
(w) Public buildings and establishments refer to structures owned or leased by the government through its departments, agencies, bureaus, offices, government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and LGUs; and
(x) Self-generating charging stations refer to charging stations which source electricity from the grid and also from on-site installed generation facilities.
