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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider AboitizPower-backed Voltai targets 1,000 EV battery-swap stations

AboitizPower-backed Voltai targets 1,000 EV battery-swap stations

Published Aug 11, 2026 09:43 am
An AP01 rider using Voltai’s battery-swapping station to quickly exchange the two-wheeler’s depleted battery with a fully charged one, allowing him to immediately return to service.
An AP01 rider using Voltai’s battery-swapping station to quickly exchange the two-wheeler’s depleted battery with a fully charged one, allowing him to immediately return to service.

Voltai, a mobility startup backed by Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower), is setting its sights on expanding its two-wheel electric vehicle (EV) battery-swapping network to around 1,000 stations over the medium term starting in 2027.

In a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 11, Voltai said it plans to expand its geographic footprint beyond Luzon into Cebu and Davao to support broader commercial transport routes. This initiative is expected to help scale up the country’s EV infrastructure following successful initial deployments in key urban hubs.

“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.”

Since its launch in October 2025, Voltai has developed 15 battery-swapping stations co-located at Cleanfuel gasoline stations across Metro Manila. According to Voltai, this is currently the largest specialized two-wheel EV swap network in the country.

In the first half of 2026, the startup completed pilot initiatives with prominent delivery and ride-hailing services, including express delivery provider JRS Express and Cebuana Lhuillier-backed ride-hailing service Xpress, to test and refine fleet performance.

Policarpio said that most of these pilot partners are now transitioning into full commercial agreements with the startup, demonstrating commercial viability and operator confidence in the technology.

Operating under a business-to-business (B2B) lease model, Voltai provides an all-inclusive ecosystem designed for logistics, food delivery, and ride-hailing firms. The package incorporates two-wheel EVs, swap stations, fleet management software, a mobile app for riders, and comprehensive after-sales maintenance for a fixed fee.

By eliminating up-front capital expenditures (capex) and ongoing repair risks, pilot fleet operators reported operating cost savings of between 20 percent and 60 percent.

The startup’s two-wheel EV model offers an operational range of up to 140 kilometers (km) using two battery packs, a top speed of 80 km per hour (kph), and a payload capacity of 200 kilograms (kg).

The accompanying fleet management platform allows operators to track vehicle locations, trip histories, distance traveled, and calculated tailpipe emissions avoided in real time.

Voltai operates under 1882 Energy Ventures, the innovation and investment arm of AboitizPower dedicated to energy decentralization and smart mobility solutions. The initiative aligns with AboitizPower’s broader efforts to convert renewable energy (RE) assets into clean downstream applications for the local transportation sector. - Gabriell Christel Galang

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