When electric vehicles were just starting to become accepted by Filipino car owners a couple of years ago, the primary concern was range anxiety—or the almost-paralyzing fear that the electric car’s battery power will run out before the destination is reached. This is especially pronounced in a country like the Philippines, where EV charging infrastructure is still relatively in its infancy stage.

Thankfully, the largest mall chain in the nation, SM Supermalls, was early to the game. Since 2022, our favorite malls has been treating its EV-driving customers to free charging.

And for this Holy Week, SM Supermalls is enhancing out-of-town travel for EV owners with its growing network of 123 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS), with 50 more planned for 2025. This expansion offers free charging at 69 SM malls, supporting eco-friendly journeys for northbound and southbound trips.

SM Supermalls, a Department of Energy-accredited operator of EVCS, ensures its stations meet national standards, addressing infrastructure limitations and promoting EV adoption in line with DOE goals. This initiative positions SM as a key driver in the Philippines’ low-carbon future.

The use of EV reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (such as carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere, which leads to global warming. The use of electric cars has no direct emissions compared to gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles.

For Holy Week road trips, free EV charging is available at 69 SM malls.

NORTHBOUND ADVENTURES

Heading to Baguio? An EV trip from SM Mall of Asia (MOA) to SM City Baguio (266km) may typically consume 50kWh one-way, avoiding approximately 0.067 metric ton of CO₂ on a round trip, which is also equal to 7.6 gallons of gasoline or 74.6 pounds of coal. Top-up stops are available at SM City Rosales and SM City Urdaneta Central.

From SM North EDSA (253km), a similar route saves 0.065 ton of CO₂ (or 7.3 gallons of gasoline), while SM City Fairview (252km) may not even need a charging stop, with 0.06 ton of CO₂ avoided.

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 ton of CO₂ savings, equivalent to two gallons of gasoline.

SOUTHBOUND ESCAPADES

Popular eco-friendly road trip spots include Tagaytay (65km one-way from SM MOA, 0.017 ton of CO₂ saved), Laguna (SM City Santa Rosa and SM City San Pedro), Batangas (SM City Lipa), and Legazpi (SM City Legazpi).

For longer drives, travelers heading to SM City Naga from SM MOA can stop at SM City Lucena (248km), with round-trip CO₂ savings of 0.061 metric ton—equal to 6.9 gallons of gasoline or 67.8 pounds of coal.

VISAYAS AND MINDANAO

Eco-friendly travel is easy with charging stations at SM City Cebu, SM City Cagayan de Oro (Downtown and Uptown), and SM Lanang in Davao. A 280km round trip between SM City CDO Downtown and SM Lanang in Davao avoids 0.035 ton of CO₂—equal to 3.9 gallons of gasoline or 38.5 pounds of coal—with no stopovers needed.

Being holy is not just doing good in spiritual matters. It’s also about caring for the physical world entrusted to us.

This Holy Week, #RechargeWithSM and experience the freedom of worry-free, eco-friendly travel, powered by SM Supermalls’ growing network.

This branded article was produced in partnership with SM Supermalls.