THE NEED to regulate the use of electric vehicles (EVs) to ensure road safety and traffic management was raised anew on Thursday by one of the co-authors of House Bill No. 8974.
The bill, co-authored by Davao City Rep. Paolo Z. Duterte, Benguet Rep. Eric G. Yap, and Party-list Rep. Edvic G. Yap, seeks to create guidelines in the classification, registration, and operation of EVs.
It would also require all manufacturers, assemblers and/or importers of electric vehicles to submit to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) specifications of new e-vehicle models three months before they are sold to the market.
“Ensuring the safety of all motorists and commuters necessitate the passage of a law that would regulate the use of these vehicles,” Mr. Duterte said in a statement, citing proposed penalties for various violations ranging from not carrying a certificate of registration (P1,000) to not being registered at all (P10,000).
The measure also mandates the LTO to set the rate of motor vehicle user’s charge for EVs.
In August, the Energy department said it expects that EV registrations would rise by 30% yearly. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
