MANILA, Philippines — Mobility innovator Gogoro Philippines is set to introduce low-cost options for the acquisition of its electric scooters to increase adoption among Filipinos.
Gogoro is looking at expanding outside of its initial market of high-income customers to bring its smart scooters to a broader segment of the population.
Gogoro Philippines president and CEO Bernie Llamzon said the company would offer new energy plans for the prepaid market without a lockup period.
Apart from this, Gogoro will introduce affordable options for financing within the second quarter of the year. The company plans to follow this up with the launch of budget-friendly scooters by the third quarter to support its entry in the low-income segment.
“We hear you and we will soon respond to this clamor as we complete other critical components of the ecosystem. We are finding the price to speak for your budget,” Llamzon said.
Gogoro is also planning to install more battery-swapping stations across Metro Manila to improve the availability of energy sources for its electric scooters.
After ending 2023 with five stations in Metro Manila, Gogoro has added nine more in the region since then and will set up another seven before the first semester ends.
Likewise, Gogoro wants to expand its reach outside of Metro Manila, exploring the prospects of bringing smart scooters and battery-swapping stations in select cities in Central Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Gogoro uses a specific technology wherein riders can just go to a Gogoro station to take out their depleted battery and pick up a fully charged one.
This way, Gogoro eliminates the usual issue with electric vehicles, that they take time to load up a battery.
Gogoro originated in Taiwan and changed the traffic landscape, particularly in the metro. Since it was founded in 2011, the share of electric scooters has jumped to 18 percent nationwide, hitting as high as 25 percent in the metro.
917Ventures, the corporate incubator for Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc., brought Gogoro into the Philippines in 2023 through a partnership with the Taiwanese maker of smart scooters.
Globe, for its part, wants Gogoro to play a crucial role in addressing the traffic problem in Metro Manila given how two-wheeled units can navigate the roads easily.