Japanese investors are backing Philippine startup CHRG Electric Vehicle Technologies as it moves from rapid-charging research toward a wider commercial network. Leave a Nest Capital and IGNYSIA Co. Ltd. formalized a strategic partnership with the company in September, with funding aimed at solar-powered charging projects in Luzon and Mindanao. The investment amount was not disclosed, but the deal gives a homegrown EV technology firm additional capital and industrial support as charging demand develops. The partnership could therefore help connect laboratory research with the practical demands of Philippine transport operators.
CHRG’s technology grew from CharM, or Charging in Minutes, a research project supported by the Department of Science and Technology and developed at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute. The company told BusinessMirror that its system can reduce charging from the conventional four to six hours to less than one hour. That performance target could matter for electric tricycles, jeepneys and commercial fleets that cannot afford long idle periods. Faster turnaround could improve fleet utilization and make charging more workable outside major commercial centers.
The Japanese partnership is designed to support more than charger hardware. CHRG said it needs to strengthen manufacturing, installation, testing and maintenance as it expands deployments. Leave a Nest brings links to researchers and startup ecosystems, while IGNYSIA contributes infrastructure construction and maintenance experience. CHRG was incorporated in 2019 as a UP Diliman spin-off, and its intellectual property was licensed from the university through a technology licensing agreement. The arrangement also gives CHRG a path to learn from partners experienced in deploying infrastructure at scale.
The company wants to deploy thousands of charging systems within four years while exploring a network that spans the Philippines and overseas projects. Its expansion arrives alongside the government’s Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy, which offers up to P60 billion in fiscal support for qualified EV and component manufacturing. Evis focuses on vehicles and parts rather than chargers, but the broader policy direction may help local suppliers build the infrastructure needed for electric mobility to scale. Its success will depend on reliable equipment, workable maintenance economics and enough demand from vehicle owners.
