MANILA: Philippine logistics company Mober is expanding its operations in Thailand, launching an initial fleet of 21 electric trucks in Bangkok to deliver mostly IKEA products.

In a statement yesterday, Mober said it had also built a 1,600-sq-mt charging hub in Bang Na district, equipped with four 22-kilowatt (kW) chargers and two 60-kW fast chargers.

“Coming from the Philippines, we at Mober are proud to bring our proven green logistics solutions to Thailand.

“It is a market with a thriving environment and a promising future for electric vehicles,” Mober co-founder and head of new business Jade Hugo said.

The Philippine company plans to raise additional funds to ramp up its plans for a bigger electric vehicle (EV) fleet in Thailand.

It also aims to acquire more units by early next year.

Locally, Mober launched a 3,000-sq-mt charging hub with a 56-port capacity, located in Pasay, in southern Metro Manila in March – by some way, the biggest commercial facility for EV charging in the country.

The company purchased its first fully electric head truck in February, which has an 18-tonne payload capacity.

The fully electric head truck can travel up to 220 km on a single charge of its 282.6-kW battery.

Buying new EVs is in line with the increasing demand for green last-mile delivery solutions from various industries, including retail and fast-moving consumer goods, Mober said.

In December last year, Mober inked a financing deal with BDO Unibank for the purchase of 60 new EV trucks for its delivery services.

The purchase of additional units will bring Mober’s total fleet to 110 EVs, the company said.

In 2023, Mober obtained a US$6mil investment from the South-East Asia Clean Energy Facility II (SEACEF II)

SEACEF II is managed by Singapore-based fund manager Clime Capital.

SEACEF II caters to businesses that promote clean energy and low-carbon solutions. — The Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN