China’s biggest producer of batteries for cars and cellular phones plans to put up an assembly operation in the Philippines that will produce electric vehicles and components, a Board of Investments official said over the weekend.
Executive director Efren Leaño declined to name the company, whose officials met with the BoI to seek fiscal incentives from the government.
“This company is one of the biggest in China and is China’s biggest producer of batteries for cars and even for cell phones. It is looking at assembly operations here for parts and electric vehicles for local and exports to countries outside China but closer to the Philippines,” Leaño said.
He said the company was also producing electric-powered buses equipped with solar panels on top for battery recharging. Leaño said the company was interested in putting up charging stations here.
The BoI official could be referring to China’s BYD Automobile Co. Ltd., which manufactures vehicles in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. BYD Automobile is part of BYD Co. Ltd., a maker of rechargeable batteries.
Parent BYD formed unit BYD Automobile in 2002 a year after it acquired vehicle maker Tsinchuan Automobile Co. The car company in 2006 started exporting cars to foreign markets, including the Middle East, South America and Africa.
BYD Automobile in 2008 sold the world’s first mass-produced, plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Leaño said the BoI was reviewing which special incentives could be granted to manufacturers of such vehicles “to entice eventually the use of electric vehicles” in the country.
He said e-vehicle users could be allotted free parking, or given special road lanes.
Earlier, the Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines urged the government to grant six-year income tax incentives to producers of electric vehicles, simplify the registration processes and exempt from color coding and bank financing.
The MVPMAP said there were 50 e-vehicles in the country, with 22 plying in Makati City and the others used as shuttle services of local government units in Bacolod City, Pasig City, Puerto Princesa City, Alabang and Vigan in Ilocos Sur.
Wang Chuanfu founded BYD and is among the wealthiest businessmen in China with assets of about $5 billion.
