Aboitiz Power Corp.-backed mobility startup Voltai plans to expand its motorcycle battery-swapping network to approximately 1,000 stations over the medium-term, starting 2027.
Following the launch of 15 stations at Cleanfuel sites, the company is prioritizing the saturation of the National Capital Region (NCR) market before expanding north and south. Currently, Voltai already has the largest 2W electric vehicle (EV) swap network in the Philippines.
‘Our current network density is already sufficient to cover our targets for the next year or so. We’ll probably see more network expansion by next year,’ said Voltai co-founder and chief product officer Nico Policarpio. ‘Our current priority is first to saturate Metro Manila and then go up to the north and south of it.’
The company has successfully tested its EV ecosystem through pilot runs with providers like JRS Express and Xpress, leading to ongoing commercial agreements.
‘Most of our initial pilot partners are continuing into commercial agreements with us, and that’s a great boost of confidence and a testimonial that the ecosystem, the product, and the technology works and can do so on a greater scale,’ Policarpio said.
The Voltai ecosystem offers two-wheel EVs, battery-swapping stations, fleet software, rider apps, and full after-sales support. This is all on a lease basis for a fixed fee, removing upfront vehicles spare parts, and repair costs. Fleet operators have achieved 20 percent to 60 percent in operational savings during pilots.
Maximizing its two battery capacities, a two-watt Voltai motorcycle can travel up to 140 kilometers, with a maximum speed of around 80 kilometers per hour and a carrying capacity of 200 kilograms.
‘At any given time, the platform shows where the motorcycles are in real time, the trips they’ve been on, how far they’ve gone, where they went, and how much tailpipe emissions were avoided,’ added Policarpio.
Plans are also underway to expand in Cebu and Davao.
Voltai is under 1882 Ventures, the startup and innovation arm of AboitizPower.
The Aboitiz energy unit recently reported that its net income rose by 45 percent year-on-year to P18.4 billion in the first half, driven by higher generation margins and capacity expansion.
While earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for generation and retail supply rose 29 percent, distribution business EBITDA declined 3 percent due to higher expansion expenses.
AboitizPower said overall financial performance was buoyed by increased energy sales and contributions from new solar and hydro assets.