Hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular in the Philippines thanks to their fuel-saving capabilities and advancements in battery technology.

We saw an influx of new hybrid vehicles, with popular nameplates being the Toyota Corolla Cross and, more recently, the Haval Jolion and Haval H6 which have entered the market with hybrid technology under the hood.

Hybrid vehicles also come with certain perks under Republic Act 11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), where electrified vehicles are exempted from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program or number coding. 

While the MMDA has already released a memorandum stopping the apprehension of these vehicles for number coding, it did not come with a complete list of hybrid cars.

What is a hybrid vehicle?

A hybrid vehicle combines at least one electric motor with an internal combustion engine (ICE) to move the car. The electric motor, the ICE, or both can power a vehicle anytime. Hybrid cars also carry a battery pack that allows them to move without using the ICE. 

It is further supported by the definition of electric vehicles under the EVIDA law, which states that “hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) refers to a vehicle with both a rechargeable energy storage system and a fuel power source for propulsion.”

Does the EVIDA law cover mild-hybrid vehicles?

Section 5 of the EVIDA Law IRR states:

"In recognition of the future advances and innovations in technologies, other EVs which may be recognized by the DOE: Provided, That said EV has at least one (1) electric drive used for propulsion."

Technically speaking, based on the definitions of the EVIDA law, mild-hybrid vehicles do not count as they do not come with at least one source of electric propulsion. The key words to understand here are “for propulsion,” which means if they can’t move under electric power, they aren’t “counted” as being a hybrid vehicle.

Following this definition, the Geely Okavango, Suzuki Ertiga hybrid, and mild-hybrid versions of the Mazda 3 and CX-30 are not covered by the law as they do not have an electric drive component. The high-voltage battery of their mild-hybrid systems merely power the electrical components  of the vehicle when it the engine is stopped at idle and adds additional power to drive the vehicle once the engine starts again.

So what vehicles should be included?

Based on the definition of EV given in the EVIDA law, here are the following common hybrid vehicles that are covered. The list also includes the approximate EV range for the vehicles that have the data available. 

• Haval H6 HEV 
• Haval Jolion HEV
• Toyota Corolla Altis HEV (EV Range 3 to 5km)
• Toyota Corolla Cross HEV (EV Range: 2km to 5km)
• Toyota RAV4 HEV (EV Range: 1 to 5km)
• Toyota Camry HEV (EV Range: 3 to 5km)
• Nissan Kicks e-Power (EV Range: 5 to 7km)
• Chery Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV (EV Range approx 85 to 90km)
• Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (EV Range approx 55km)
• Land Rover Range Rover PHEV (EV Range approx 121km)
• Lexus UX 250h (EV Range approx 2.5km)
• Lexus NX 350h (EV Range approx 1.6km)
• Lexus RX 350h
• Lexus ES 300h (EV Range approx 1.6km)
• Lexus IS 300h 
• Lexus LS  500h (EV Range approx 1km)

However, not all hybrid systems are created equal. As you can see, those vehicles with bigger battery packs deliver longer electric only range. Plug-in Hybrids have larger capacity batteries to store more energy for electric motor use. 

Moreover, typical hybrids rely on their individual software and tuning to identify when they can run on battery-only mode, in engine-only mode, or in tandem motor and engine mode to either produce the most power or save the most fuel. These are often not manually selectable and will rely on driving conditions such as road slope, power need, and charge of battery to enable. 

Do you have more cars that should be added to the hybrid vehicle list?

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