An electic car tops up at an EV charging station at an SM mall. Handout photo

MANILA -- SM Supermalls said owners of electric vehicles who are going on a long road trip this Holy Week can avail of free EV charging in 69 of its malls.

The mall operator said it currently has a network of 123 EV charging stations, with 50 more planned for 2025.

"This expansion offers free charging at 69 SM malls, supporting eco-friendly journeys for northbound and southbound trips," the mall operator said.

SM Mall of Asia and SM North Edsa both have EV stations. For those driving North, top-up stops are available at SM City Rosales and SM City Urdaneta Central as well as SM City Baguio, the company said.  

"Shorter northern trips like SM MOA to SM City Clark (96km) or SM North EDSA to Clark (83km) may require no stopovers, offering up to 0.02 metric tons of CO₂ savings, equivalent to 2 gallons of gasoline," SM added.

Motorists heading South may top up their EVs at SM City Santa Rosa, SM City San Pedro, SM City Lipa, and SM City Legazpi.

"For longer drives, travelers heading to SM City Naga from SM MOA can stop at SM City Lucena (248km), with roundtrip CO₂ savings of 0.061 metric tons—equal to 6.9 gallons of gasoline or 67.8 pounds of coal," the company said.

Motorists in the Visayas and Mindanao can also tap charging stations at SM City Cebu, SM City Cagayan de Oro, and SM Lanang in Davao.

According to the Department of Energy, the Philippines now has 912 EV charging stations that are publicly accessible at the end of March. The DOE aims to deploy 7,300 EV charging stations all over the country by 2028, based on the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry.