e-mobility ASAP showcases private sector co-investment model for scaling e-PUV adoption at the Asia Pacific Transport Forum 2026
This was the message shared by the GEF-funded DTI-BOI-UNIDO e-mobility ASAP Project at the Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum, during a session “From Ideas to Impact — Innovations and Private Sector Engagement”, highlighting practical transport solutions that are helping translate national priorities into action across ADB’s developing member countries.
Atty. Glynda Bathan-Baterina, Deputy Executive Director of Clean Air Asia and Project Team Leader of the e-mobility ASAP Project, shared the emerging business model for accelerating electric public utility vehicle (e-PUV) adoption in the Philippines, emphasizing the need to mobilize private sector investments to bring e-mobility solutions closer to implementation.
“Accelerating e-PUV adoption requires more than policy support. It requires bankable models that reduce risks for operators and create clear entry points for private sector investment,” said Bathan-Baterina. “Through the e-mobility ASAP Project, we are using grant resources strategically to unlock larger investments that can help scale electric public transport in the Philippines.”
The profit-sharing model was developed to address key barriers to e-PUV adoption, including high upfront costs, limited financing, charging infrastructure gaps, and operational risks for transport operators. By directing project support toward reliable and accessible charging infrastructure, while supplier partners support vehicle deployment, the model helps reduce operator burden, share risks, and strengthen the business case for private sector participation.
Through partnerships with e-Future Motors Philippines, Inc., BASIC GEEP, San Andres Transport Service Cooperative, and PAMAJOD Transport Cooperative, the Project is helping enable an estimated USD 9 million in private sector investment.
Beyond the profit-sharing model, the Project is also working with the Department of Transportation to support e-mobility integration in the Public Transportation Modernization Program focus areas, including Bacolod and Iloilo. In these sites, leasing and in-house financing models are being explored for demonstration alongside ongoing modernization activities and local interest in greener, more efficient transport solutions.
As e-PUV adoption expands, these approaches can help reduce operating costs, strengthen transport enterprises, improve access to sustainable mobility, and contribute to the country’s climate commitments.
The e-mobility ASAP Project’s participation in the forum underscored a key lesson for the region: sustainable transport solutions can scale when policy ambition is matched with viable business models, capable partners, and implementation support on the ground.
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About the e-mobility ASAP Project
The e-mobility ASAP Project, or Accelerating the Adoption and Scale-up of Electric Mobility for Low-Carbon City Development in the Philippines, is funded by the Global Environment Facility, implemented by United Nations Industrial Development Organization with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Board of Investments, and executed by Clean Air Asia with consortium partners De La Salle University, the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines, and the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative. The Project supports the Philippines’ transition to low-carbon transport by accelerating EV adoption and strengthening the local EV industry and enabling ecosystem.
