Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation announced that it has recently signed a strategic agreement with SUN Mobility — a leading provider of energy infrastructure and services for electric vehicles (EVs). The partnership will explore the pilot deployment of SUN Mobility’s advanced battery-swapping technology in the Philippines for 2 and 3-wheel electric vehicles.
The partnership supports the recently passed Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) that aims to promote sustainable electric transportation in the country. The partners aim to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the Philippines by providing a practical and economical solution with zero tailpipe emissions. For this pilot project, select Shell Mobility stations will soon deploy Swap Points™ that leverage state-of-the-art interoperable battery-swapping technology by SUN Mobility comprising of Smart Batteries, Quick Interchange Stations, and Smart Network (cloud-based IoT backend software). This will allow 2 and 3-wheel electric vehicles to swap batteries at select Shell mobility stations in less than two minutes and provide a cost-effective solution with significant range. The pilot is expected to launch within the first half of 2023.
In a press statement, Jolo Valdez, E-Mobility and Innovations Manager for Pilipinas Shell, said, “Shell is happy to work with both the private and public sectors to develop solutions that will decarbonize mobility and transport. Both 2-wheel and 3-wheel electric vehicles are projected to be a major use case for logistics companies and other fleet operators in the coming decades. This pilot deployment aims to test the feasibility of smart battery swapping services and technology for the Philippine B2B use case. We are also happy to receive support from our government agencies to test these new technologies and solutions.”
According to Department of Energy – Energy Utilization Management Bureau (DOE-EUMB) Director Patrick Aquino, “the pilot deployment and its success will definitely be a pathfinder for similar technologies and solutions in the EV space. We hope these new solutions will encourage more businesses and drivers to switch to electric vehicles.”
Moreover, Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba, Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Innovation, said that the pilot deployment of Sun Mobility and Shell “will be a pioneer for smart battery swapping in the Philippines. We are looking forward to see how this can enable and support EV adoption and possibly even EV parts manufacturing in the country.”
Last July 2022, Pilipinas Shell, through its retailer, launched the Philippines’ first Ultra-rapid EV charging station along the Philippines Expressways, at Shell SLEX Mamplasan Laguna. The Ultra-rapid 180kW charger is capable of charging an EV to optimal battery levels in less than 30 minutes of charging time. Powered by 100% renewable energy through Shell Energy Philippines, the Shell Recharge EV charger offers a truly low-carbon solution even from the power source. The charging station was launched alongside Shell’s new nature-based Carbon Offset Offer which enables customers to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions from their vehicles with credits from Shell’s afforestation and reforestation projects around the world.
Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Goel, Co-Founder and Executive Director of SUN Mobility said, “SUN Mobility is proud to collaborate with Pilipinas Shell to explore the mass adoption of EVs across the region, starting with the Philippines. In the future, we intend to bring our industry-leading technology along with our substantial on-ground experience after having deployed 250+ Swap Points™ in 18 cities across India, powering over 55 million km and ~3 million swaps so far.”
During the signing ceremony, Randy Del Valle, Pilipinas Shell’s Vice President and General Manager for Mobility, shared that “Shell supports EV adoption in the country. We are already a global leader in the EV space, and we are optimistic that working with Sun Mobility will unlock practical, economical, and convenient EV solutions specific to the needs of the Philippine market.”