Globe Telecom Inc. said Monday that its unit 917Ventures and Ayala Corp. have brought into the country the first batch of 100 smart scooters to jumpstart its effort to reduce fossil fuel use.
917Venture and Ayala also imported 400 batteries and seven GoStations—electric vehicle battery swapping stations–from Gogoro, the Taiwan-based two-wheel electric vehicle (EV) and battery-swapping technology in preparation for the rollout of greener transport alternatives.
Pilot testing of the EV project starts this quarter in Metro Manila. The success of the project is expected to pave the way for a new sustainable business model in other Philippine cities.
The Gogoro network has over 520,000 riders in Taiwan who perform more than 370,000 battery swaps per day, demonstrating its effectiveness in a high-density urban environment—a success that 917Venture and Ayala hope to replicate in the Philippines.
Globe launched last month electric-powered shuttles for its employees in Mandaluyong and Makati as part of its goal of reducing vehicle fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
