Shell PH, SUN Mobility to bring battery swapping tech for 2-, 3-wheel EV

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC) has recently forged a strategic partnership with SUN Mobility that will bring the India-headquartered firm’s battery-swapping technology for two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles to the country. 

In a statement, the oil giant said that the newly-created collaboration supports the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) that pushes for sustainable electric transportation locally.

According to PSPC, the plan is to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the Philippines by providing a practical and economical solution with zero tailpipe emissions.

For the pilot project, select Shell Mobility stations will soon have Swap Points “that leverage state-of-the-art interoperable battery-swapping technology by SUN Mobility made up of smart batteries, quick interchange stations, and smart network (cloud-based IoT [internet of things> backend software).

Expected to launch within the first half of the year, the initiative will allow two- and three-wheel electric vehicles to exchange batteries at select Shell mobility stations in less than two minutes and provide a cost-effective solution with significant range.

“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, and 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,” Pilipinas Shell E-Mobility and Innovations Manager Jolo Valdez was quoted as saying.

Department of Energy-Energy Utilization Management Bureau (DOE-EUMB) Director Patrick Aquino said that “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.”

Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Innovation Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba said that the program of Sun Mobility and Shell “will be a pioneer for smart battery swapping in the Philippines. “We are looking forward to seeing how this can enable and support EV adoption and possibly even EV parts manufacturing in the country,” the government official said.

Further, SUN Mobility Co-Founder and Executive Director Ajay Goel expressed elation over the joint venture with Pilipinas Shell.

“In the future, we intend to bring our industry-leading technology along with our substantial on-ground experience after having deployed 250 plus Swap Points in 18 cities across India, powering over 55 million kilometers and three million swaps so far,” the company executive said.

At the signing ceremony, Pilipinas Shell Vice President and General Manager for Mobility Randy del Valle expressed the brand’s support on EV adoption. “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,” del Valle noted. 

Last year, Pilipinas Shell placed the country’s premier ultra-rapid EV charging station along Philippines expressways, particularly at Shell SLEX Mamplasan Laguna.

The ultra-rapid 180-kilowatt charger is capable of providing power to an EV in less than 30 minutes of charging time. Powered by 100-percent 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. 

Photos from Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation

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