Pilipinas Shell to pilot battery-swapping technology for EVs

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 two- and three-wheel electric vehicles (EVs).

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 consisting of Smart Batteries, Quick Interchange Stations, and Smart Network (cloud-based IoT backend software). This will allow two- and three-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.

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.”

“Shell is happy to work with both the private and public sectors to develop solutions that will decarbonise mobility and transport. Both two-wheel and three-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,” said Jolo Valdez, E-Mobility and Innovations manager for Pilipinas Shell.

“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,” said Ajay Goel, co-founder and executive director of SUN Mobility. 

Pilipinas Shell’s partnership with SUN Mobility will allow compatible two and three-wheel electric vehicles to swap batteries in less than two minutes at select Shell mobility stations in the country. The pilot development is expected within the first half of 2023.