First PH e-bike factory up and running in Laguna

MANILA  -The manufacturing arm of conglomerate Ayala Corp. and California-based Zero Motorcycles inaugurated the country’s first high-powered e-bike manufacturing plant in Laguna that is expected to generate annual sales of about P3.5 billion.

Ayala’s Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (IMI) and Zero earlier sealed a partnership to build a “global base” in the Philippines to meet rising demand for electric motorcycles.

  “The strategic manufacturing collaboration between the two companies will help address the global demand for high-powered motorcycles and will increase access to the world’s full-sized all-e-motorcycles, with a projection of about 16,000 bikes per year in 2025,” Ayala said in a statement on Friday.

Zero Motorcycles was conceptualized in a garage in Santa Cruz, California. It makes high-performance electric motorcycles that cost at least P1 million each.

The Laguna plant, which will assemble Zero’s motorcycle and batteries, will employ at least 200 workers.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday was led by IMI CEO Arthur Tan, Zero Motorcycles CEO Sam Paschel, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in the Philippines Heather Variava and Governor Marjorie Ramos-Samaniego of the Department of Trade & Industry–Board of Investments.

“The partnership will further strengthen our firm commitment in carrying out the development of EV (electric vehicle) ecosystem in the Philippines while securing a greener future for Filipinos,” Tan said in the statement.

“IMI is uniquely positioned to have both the competency of electronics manufacturing as well as e-bike assembly under one roof,” he added.

Paschel said the Laguna facility was an ideal location to “build a global base.”

“This complements IMI’s manufacturing and supply of [electric vehicle] chargers which are currently integrated and installed by Greenstrum in more than 50 sites across the country,” he said.

“With Zero and IMI together, there is no partnership or set of brands in the world that is in better position to take advantage of this transformation and to lead and reshape how two-wheel transportation is going to happen,” Paschel added.