Range anxiety and steep upfront costs remain the biggest speed bumps to electric vehicle (EV) adoption among Philippine businesses, industry leaders said at the first B2B EV symposium hosted by VinFast Philippines last Friday, February 13, in Parañaque.
While EV registrations and charging infrastructure are climbing, fleet operators are still wary. Concerns over driving range, charging reliability, and total cost of ownership continue to cloud the business case for electrification, according to stakeholders at the event.
Data presented by the Department of Energy (DOE) show momentum building, albeit from a low base. EV registrations reached 24,286 units in 2024 and surged to 41,857 units from January to September 2025, out of a total 14.6 million registered motor vehicles nationwide.
Charging infrastructure is expanding in parallel. As of early 2026, the country has 1,351 charging points, supported by a growing pool of accredited charging service providers and DOE-recognized EV models. Still, industry players concede that coverage remains thin for high-utilization commercial fleets that depend on predictable routes and minimal downtime.
VinFast is closing the gap by pushing a battery subscription model that separates battery ownership from the vehicle purchase, lowering initial acquisition costs and turning battery expenses into predictable operating fees. The company said the approach reduces capital outlay while mitigating long-term battery performance risks.
Its charging partner, V-Green, outlined plans to accelerate nationwide charger deployment to strengthen route planning and improve fleet uptime.
VinFast underscored that solving range anxiety will require coordinated action across policy, infrastructure, financing, and private-sector execution. By pairing these efforts with a growing EV lineup for taxis, delivery fleets, and shuttle services, the company aims to show that electrification can deliver measurable operational gains—not just environmental goodwill.
