MANILA -Filipinos may be able to buy Gogoro, a Taiwanese electric scooter brand, by the fourth quarter as Globe Group’s 917Ventures ramps up the deployment of battery-swapping stations and pilot testing.
Bernard Llamzon, Globe Capital Venture Holdings Inc. director, said in an event in Taguig City on Monday that they would accommodate pre-orders for the two-wheel electric vehicle (EV) before commercial rollout.
“Fundamental to that, we are making sure that we will be able to support our customers when we start commercial operations,” he said.
917Ventures managing director Vince Yamat said the smart scooters would be pilot-tested by 70 company employees for two months starting May, to gather insights into motorists’ experience while using the EV on the road.
On Monday, Globe Group, Ayala Corp. and Gogoro Inc. launched the Gogoro Smartscooters and the first battery-swapping station at the Globe headquarters in Bonifacio Global City.
More stations are planned across Metro Manila. A battery-swapping station allows users to have an immediate battery replacement, instead of charging the vehicles for hours.
“With the current traffic situation in the Metro, these Smartscooters will serve as an eco-friendly alternative to ease congestion while at the same time reducing carbon emissions,” Llamzon said. INQ
READ:
MMDA eyes stricter regulation of e-bikes, e-scooters