Nissan sees growing interest in e-vehicles

MANILA, Philippines — Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) is seeing growing consumer interest for its Leaf electric vehicle (EV) amid soaring global oil prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Because of this gas price increase recently, we got a lot of inquiries [for the Leaf],” NPI president and managing director Atsushi Najima said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Since NPI launched the Leaf in May last year, Najima said the automotive company has sold 25 to 30 units.

“The shift to EV is not a question of it but when,” Najima added.

Given the series of fuel price hikes, Najima said the difference in total ownership cost between an EV and gasoline engine has become smaller.

“I would say purchase cost, initial purchase cost of an EV is slightly higher. But if you think about total ownership cost between an EV and gasoline vehicle, the difference is much minimized now,” Najima said.

According to him, it costs about P360 to fully charge the Leaf and that would be good for driving up to 311 kilometers.

Meanwhile, using a gasoline engine vehicle would cost more, with fuel prices at around P70 to P80 per liter.

In terms of maintenance cost, Najima said EVs are 20 to 30 percent cheaper than gasoline engine vehicles.

Apart from the total ownership cost, he said EVs offer other benefits such as strong acceleration, smooth handling and quiet driving.

EVs also allow users to drive easily and safely through its advanced technology features.

In addition, Najima said using EVs is good for the environment.

Earlier, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government is pushing for the immediate removal of the import duty on EVs to encourage its adoption, as part of the measures to mitigate the impact of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

“One of those we are proposing is to adjust the tariff rate [of EVs] from 30 percent to zero to give options to our people to try using EVs,” Najima said.

When the import duties are removed, EVs can be sold at lower prices and become accessible to consumers.

Aside from scrapping the import duty on EVs, the Department of Trade and Industry wants more charging stations to be put up in the country to support the use of such vehicles.