The Ayala Group is bringing Gogoro, a Taiwanese two-wheel electric vehicle (EV) and battery-swapping technology player, into the Philippines.
Globe Telecom Inc. said its venture builder 917Ventures and Ayala Corp. (AC) teamed up to “pilot” in Metro Manila Gogoro’s Smartscooters, which “will serve as an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuel-powered vehicles currently used by the logistics and last-mile delivery industry.”
Gogoro Smartscooters are powered by Gogoro’s battery swapping platform through conveniently located swap stations, where users can quickly swap depleted batteries for fully-charged ones in seconds.
This is expected to be launched within the first quarter of 2023.
“We are committed to help address the climate crisis by introducing Gogoro to logistics businesses, helping them in their sustainability efforts,” Vince Yamat, 917Ventures Managing Director, said in a statement.
“In addition, because of the Swap & Go technology that enables riders to be fully charged in just seconds, we hope Gogoro will also help address hesitations surrounding charging electric vehicles and even finding parking slots. Hopefully, this technology will encourage more Filipinos to switch to EV.”
AC Head of Business Development and Innovation Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala said this initiative is the group’s support to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) thrust to transition towards cleaner technologies.
“We are excited to contribute to a high-quality consortium focused on enhancing mobility through sustainable solutions, which aligns with our broader decarbonization and digital transformation ambitions,” he said.
In Taiwan, Gogoro currently has over 11,000 battery swapping GoStations at more than 2,260 locations.
With over 1 million batteries in circulation the number of GoStations has already surpassed the number of gas stations in Taiwan’s major cities, making Gogoro battery swapping the de facto standard for electric two-wheel refueling in Taiwan.
The Gogoro Network has more than 520,000 riders that perform more than 370,000 battery swaps per day.
“Gogoro is honored to have the support of the Philippine’s Department of Energy and the Department of Trade and Industry to kickstart this new smart mobility movement in Manila that utilizes Gogoro’s intelligent battery swapping, a new generation of EV refueling,” said Horace Luke, founder and CEO of Gogoro.