The sight of electric vehicles on Philippine roads is one-step closer with the government’s formal adoption of international standards. Finalized on the opening day of the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) has now released several standards that specifically cater to the emerging market of electric vehicles.

Citing rising fuel prices and more buyers becoming environment and climate conscious, the DTI, through a technical committee that specializes on electric road vehicles, has now adopted safety and road performance standards that comply with International Standards (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

With this move, there are now 45 PNS or Philippine National Standards pertaining specifically to EVs covering areas such as safety specification, fuel cell road vehicles, hybrid vehicle, charging systems, lithium-ion battery packs, plugs, socket-outlets, vehicle connectors and vehicle inlets, and, vehicle grid communication interface.

This move is seen as one of the first concrete steps to bring EVs into the country. With the formalization of required Philippine standards, carmakers and assemblers can now begin the process of homologating vehicles for the local market.

Currently, Hyundai Asia Resources is offering the Kona EV as the country’s first battery electric vehicle while Nissan has committed to bringing in its best-selling LEAF by fiscal year 2019-2020.