The shift to electrified vehicles on the road is accelerating in the Philippines. The industry has seen the fastest adoption rates yet since the first hybrid electric vehicle was introduced locally back in 2009. Toyota Motor Philippines is leading the shift in the Philippines with 95% of xEV users driving an electrified model from the Toyota and Lexus lineup.
Based on the official figures from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI), as end of June 2022, there are now 1,013 of xEVs solid locally, surpassing the total volume of 2021 and 2022 at 843 and 378, respectively.
Toyota and Lexus currently offer a wide range of HEVs in the Philippines across 10 models – Toyta Corolla Altis, Corolla Cross, Prius, Camry, and Rav 4, as well as Lexus IS, ES, LS, NX, and RX.
Recently we got to experience the Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid Edition, though we won’t dwell on the drive experience and leave it to the review as our experience was brief. Nevertheless, our driving experience of 127 kilometers to San Mateo & Sucat Paranaque gave us an impressive 12.349 liters or just 10.28 kilometers per liter of mileage.
Our driving experience with the Altis was really more of an aggressive style of driving of flooring the accelerator, so we were quite impressed with the savings in petrol thanks to the Hybrid system. Compared to my personal Limited Edition Downgrade Honda Civic FC 1.8e which just averages 6.8km per liter.
The company believes in multiple ways towards gaining speed and achieving Carbon Neutrality. Globally, Toyota offers a range of hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles. All are being rolled out to different regions based on the readiness of the market and the infrastructure to power them with clean energy.
To date, Toyota and Lexus claim to have sold more than 20 million units of electrified models in the world to help reduce CO2 emissions by more than 160 million metric tons.
TMP President Atsuhiro Okamoto welcomes this development as a good sign that the Philippines will soon be making significant contributions to one of the ultimate global goals of vehicle electrification, which is carbon neutrality or net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in transportation.
“The positive impact of xEVs can only be observed once we achieve widescale adoption of these vehicles,” said Okamoto. “The exponential growth and the rate of new xEV model introductions in the country are providing Filipino customers more options and easier access to greener technologies. We are optimistic that we can experience the environmental benefits of electrified vehicles with Toyota taking the lead while always ensuring ‘Mobility for All’ where no one is left behind.
Plus with the incentive of Republic Act 11697 gives a special privilege to electric car owners including Hybrid systems to be early adopters and benefit from exemption in the number coding system.
