Philippines conglomerate Ayala Corporation has officially signed a joint venture deal with Taiwanese electric vehicle company Gogoro and Globe’s 917Ventures Inc to bring electric two-wheeler vehicles and open-battery swap network to the Philippines.
The partnership, which was first announced in December last year, seeks to reduce the use of fossil fuels by the country’s logistics industry, which is known to release significantly more emissions per vehicle per day than consumer riding.
Through Gogoro PH, the parties will undertake the import, sale, distribution, operation, management, and maintenance of two-wheeled electric scooters with battery swap technology under the Gogoro brand.
They will also operate battery swapping stations for e-scooters and after-sales services business, which may include the import and distribution of other e-scooter brands that are compatible with the battery swapping stations, in the Philippines, according to the announcement.
Gogoro’s smart scooters are already in the streets of Manila, according to the announcement, with Globe employees pilot-testing more than 50 vehicles under a two-month programme meant to gain customer insights before the commercial launch later this year.
The first GoStation was unveiled at the Globe headquarters in Taguig City in April 2023, followed by the launch of a pilot programme for Globe employees.
Smart scooters will serve as an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuel-powered vehicles currently used by the logistics and last-mile delivery industry.
“Gogoro Philippines, our joint venture with Globe’s 917Ventures Inc. and the Ayala Group, continues our global mission to empower cities with intelligent, eco-friendly mobility solutions that are open and accessible,” said Horace Luke, founder and CEO of Gogoro.
Gogoro is one of Taiwan’s most valuable startups and counts the National Development Fund, a government funding vehicle, and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek among its investors.
The Gogoro Network supports nearly 550,000 riders and has more than 1.1 million smart batteries in circulation through its network of more than 12,000 battery-swapping stations at over 2,500 locations in Taiwan.
Prior to its Philippine plans, Gogoro already partnered with Indonesian ride-hailing major Gojek to electrify urban transportation in the archipelago.
Commenting on the official signing of the JV, Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said the partnership is a “big stride in our goal to provide eco-friendly transport that places, at the forefront, environmental stewardship and mobility for businesses and individuals”.
The other JV partner, 917Ventures, backed by telecom giant Globe and Ayala Corporation, is one of the largest corporate venture builders in the Philippines.
Ayala Corp, one of the Philippines’s biggest conglomerates involved in a wide range of businesses, earlier agreed to sell Chinese automaker BYD’s electric vehicles in the country.
Under the deal, the group’s automobile division, AC Motors, is expected to handle sales and maintenance for BYD’s EVs through its sales network.