KYMCO To Convert Taiwan Taxi’s Scooter Delivery Service to Electric

Unlike the U.S., Taiwan’s economy heavily relies on delivery scooters. Owned by Taiwan Taxi, the nation’s largest cab-hailing service, GBG Express is the preeminent two-wheeled delivery resource. The 26,000-rider fleet serves the country’s 132 districts, delivering everything from restaurant orders to clothing to groceries. The company also serves 40,000 corporate clients in more than 100 industries with last-mile business-to-business deliveries.

With such an expansive operation, GBG Express is responsible for a large portion of transportation and commerce. To aid the delivery service’s transition to a more sustainable model, KYMCO and GBG Express recently announced a strategic partnership to convert 50 percent of its fleet to electric by 2023.

“KYMCO Ionex is a leading turnkey solution for electric vehicles that empowers businesses and governments to go electric,” said KYMCO chairman Allen Ko. “The partnership with Taiwan Taxi marks an important milestone for KYMCO, as the company is committed to leading the world and helping all businesses usher in the electric era.”

Under the agreement, KYMCO and Taiwan Taxi will develop an Ionex electric scooter platform to suit the needs of GBG Express personnel. KYMCO’s Ionex battery-swapping network will also fuel the fleet nationwide. To meet the moment, the Kaohsiung-based manufacturer is accelerating battery charging station deployments. Those efforts will also include in-house battery swapping installations at GBG Express locations.

“The partnership with KYMCO creates a win-win situation for all three parties,” noted Taiwan Taxi chairman Gary Lin. “It demonstrates our long-standing and continuous efforts to explore new business opportunities for our rider partners and to provide better services for our clients. Together with our strategic partners, we will be able to build a sustainable and environmentally friendly transport network.”

While the two Taiwanese entities are shoring up electric mobility at home, KYMCO readily exports its Ionex platform and battery swapping network overseas. Similar to Gogoro, Taiwan’s other major electric scooter producer, KYMCO aims to shape the global electric market with its battery swapping technology.