GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. is expanding its ecosystem to include “climate tech” (Climatech) as a new focus area aimed at combating climate change by mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
“One key initiative to drive Climatech would be in the space of electric vehicle (EV),” Globe said in a disclosure to the stock exchange on Friday.
The company appointed Bernard P. Llamzon, its current executive vice-president for Channel Management Group, as lead of the initiative.
Mr. Llamzon will take on his new role starting Jan. 1, 2023.
“As he leads this initiative, he will be working closely with the different teams in the organization,” Globe said.
The company announced recently that its corporate venture builder, 917Ventures, and Ayala Corp. are set to bring Taiwan-based electric scooter and battery swapping system provider Gogoro to the Philippines.
Gogoro’s Smartscooters will serve as an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuel-powered vehicles currently used by the logistics and last-mile delivery industry, according to Globe.
There will be battery swapping stations for Gogoro’s two-wheel EVs.
“Users can quickly swap depleted batteries for fully-charged ones in seconds,” Globe said in a statement.
Ayala, 917Ventures, and Gogoro plan to pilot the program in the first quarter of 2023.
The logistics industry is known to release significantly more emissions per vehicle per day than consumer riding, according to 917Ventures.
“We are committed to helping address the climate crisis by introducing Gogoro to logistics businesses, helping them in their sustainability efforts,” 917Ventures Managing Director Vince T. Yamat said.
“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,” he added.
Gogoro has more than 11,000 battery swapping stations at more than 2,260 locations in Taiwan. Its network has more than 520,000 riders who perform more than 370,000 battery swaps per day, according to Globe. — Arjay L. Balinbin