MANILA, Philippines – Gogoro electric scooters – which have become massively popular in Taiwan – will soon be coming to the streets of Manila later this 2023. 

Ahead of the commercial launch, Globe’s 917Ventures Incorporated, Ayala Corporation, and Gogoro Network have joined hands to form Gogoro Philippines. The joint venture, executed on Thursday, August 24, will allow Gogoro to steadily set up its presence in the country. 

The agreement will cover the importation, sale, distribution, operation, management, and maintenance of Gogoro’s two-wheeled electric scooters. Gogoro Philippines will also handle the battery swapping technology, battery swapping stations for the e-scooters, and after-sales services business in the Philippines. 

The agreement also allows the importation and distribution of other e-scooter brands that are compatible with Gogoro’s battery swapping stations. (READ: Electric public transport can make cities livable, humane)

Globe’s wholly-owned subsidiary, 917Ventures, will own 49% of Gogoro Philippines. Ayala Corporation will have a 21% stake in the company while Gogoro Network, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gogoro Inc., will own the remaining 30%.

“Gogoro is Globe’s entry into the climate tech industry through 917Ventures Inc. The official signing of the joint venture 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,” said Globe president and chief executive officer Ernest Cu in a statement.

The e-scooters have gained success in Taiwan, where it is used by nearly 550,000 riders. Gogoro’s system also allows users to quickly switch drained batteries with a fully-charged one at its battery swapping stations, addressing the problem of slow-charging electric vehicle batteries. 

Currently, Gogoro maintains 12,000 battery swapping stations across 2,500 stations in Taiwan. According to Gogoro, its battery swapping stations outnumber gas stations in some Taiwanese cities.

In the Philippines, an initial batch of 100 Smartscooters, 400 smart batteries, and seven GoStations arrived earlier, in February. The country’s first GoStation was unveiled at Globe’s Taguig headquarters in April 2023. The e-scooters are currently being piloted by Globe employees. – Rappler.com