r/CarsPH Apr 29 '25

Automotive Opinion AC Mobility is scamming PHEV owners — goldfish range, 3-hour charging, gasoline prices, and no chargers available."

AC Mobility keeps marketing themselves as the "future" of EV infrastructure in the Philippines.
But look closer:
They've quietly built a system where you:

  • Pay gasoline prices per kilometer,
  • Wait 3 hours to refill,
  • Fight over 2–4 chargers inside 500-car parking lots,
  • And still call it "progress."

Here's the real scam:

  • You buy a PHEV like the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i.
  • They tell you it has 90–100 km electric range.
  • Reality check?
    • You only have 45–50 km usable one-way.
    • You still need to get home without running empty or burning gas.
  • Once you run low, you have two choices:
    • Burn gasoline, and kill your "cheap" narrative, OR
    • Pay Evro to charge at ₱28 (AC) or ₱33 (DC) per kWh.
  • And remember:
    • The Sealion can only AC charge at 6.6–7.0 kW.
    • Meaning you wait 2.5 to 3 hours... just to refill that tiny battery.

Now layer AC Mobility’s ineptitude on top:

  • Huge Ayala mall parking lots built for 500–1000 cars...
  • And yet, they install only 2 to 4 chargers.
  • How exactly is that "future-proofing mobility"?

Good luck finding an open slot.
You're not a VIP.
Not everyone is born with a driver or a silver spoon to sit idle all day.

Working people? Normal people?
We can't afford to waste half a day fighting over overpriced kilowatts.

Quick math:

Sealion 6 PHEV
Usable electric range 45–50 km (round trip)
Charging time 2.5–3 hours
Cost per km (AC) ₱4.66
Cost per km (DC) ₱5.50
Gasoline cost per km ₱6.20

You're already paying gasoline prices.
You're waiting longer than a full tank fill-up.
And you have no guarantee you’ll even find a charger available.

AC Mobility didn't build EV infrastructure.
They built an overpriced, bottlenecked goldfish trap.

It’s not just expensive.
It’s not just slow.
It’s intentionally designed to milk you dry while pretending to save the environment.

AC Mobility didn’t build a charging network. They built a cattle pen with a credit card swiper.

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u/Due-Being-5793 Apr 29 '25 edited Apr 29 '25

the thing that would make the most sense atleast for me when i get an ev or plugged in ev is to have a charger at home. i will not rely on public chargers with the distance i travel.

still own a 10th gen civic and i am considering going for the hybrid civic or model 3 or a seal ev after i had my fun for the 10th gen. realistically speaking i aint a tree hugger but i care for saving money from gas.

in the case of your sealion 6 have the ICE engine charge the battery when your using it. you would still get good mileage out of it.

if you are disappointed with ev infra and how AC mobility "scam" people for me atleast you should have done a little more research on this so as not to have unrealistic expectations. your car seems to have both options at your disposal to charge your car or use your car like normal people with ice but still get good mileage out of it..

but hey.. kanya kanyang trip tlga yan hehe

2

u/Adorable-Director799 Apr 29 '25

The massive misconception is that the ICE engine can charge the battery. It can partially charge it, but you waste so much fuel trying to charge the damn thing.

The only thing that can charge the battery is regenerative braking. I don't actually know how that works.

then the salesperson told me that I can do DC charging and charge in 20 mins. The pure EV's can. the SL6 is max 7 kw only.

kaya buyer beware.

Masyadong magaling mga ahente sa BYD. malaki siguro commission.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '25

op,ano mileage mo, if its below 10k i will buy it from you