About this episode

Franco Varona joins Jeremy Au to discuss the impact of the energy crisis on the electric vehicle market in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines.

When the oil crisis hit, Southeast Asia changed overnight. In this episode, recorded in Manila, Foxmont Capital's Franco Varona joins Jeremy Au to unpack how the energy shock supercharged the electric vehicle boom across the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. They break down BYD's stunning climb to become the Philippines' third best-selling car brand in roughly three years, why Filipino consumers now name a Chinese EV as their dream car, and how solar panels are turning electricity bills to zero. The conversation also goes deep on the region's bigger game: Malaysia's fuel subsidy trap, the brownouts and record heatwaves that exposed the Philippine grid, and the high-stakes economics of Pax Silica, the US-led semiconductor and critical minerals pact that the Philippines joined in April 2026. Plus the wild Senate drama that gripped Manila, from gunshots on the floor to a senator's chase. Essential listening for founders, investors and operators building in Southeast Asia. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/nickel-chinese-evs-philippines BRAVE is Southeast Asia's leading tech podcast, hosted by Jeremy Au. Honest…

People in this episode

Host: Jeremy Au

Guest: Franco Varona

Topics covered

• electric vehicles
• energy crisis
• Southeast Asia
• economics
• semiconductors
• Philippines politics

Keywords

• electric vehicles
• Philippines
• BYD
• energy crisis
• solar panels
• semiconductors
• Senate drama

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Foxmont Capital, BYD

Places: Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam

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