Mober, a green logistics company, is looking for women to drive electric vans as it plans to add hundreds of vehicles to its fleet, buoyed by the opening of the largest EV charging complex in Pasay City.
“This year, we will be focusing on hiring more women drivers,” Dennis Ng, founder and chief executive of Mober, said in an interview with the Manila Standard in Makati City.
Ng said women drivers will find electric delivery vans and trucks easy to operate because they have much less vibration and carbon emissions. He said EVs can handle flooded streets better than those equipped with internal combustion engines.
“EVs have automatic drive and they do not have a clutch,” Ng said.
Mober now has more than 350 employees, including drivers, whom he calls green delivery specialists. This aligns with the vision of its customers, he said. “The reason we do this is because we want to maintain the service level. If you subcontract, there is no continuity, and it’s more expensive,” he said.
Mober is expanding as it secures more clients with net-zero pledges and after receiving funding from BDO Unibank Inc. and the Southeast Asia Clean Energy Facility II (SEACEF II), managed by Singapore-based fund manager Clime Capital.
“We’re trying our best to reach 500 units by the end of this year. We are also eyeing Southeast Asia. In May, we will go live in Thailand,” Ng said.
Mober is deploying an initial 30 EVs in Thailand after securing a delivery deal with IKEA Thailand.
In the Philippines, one of its biggest clients is IKEA, a Swedish furniture maker and retailer that uses electric trucks for its last-mile delivery. IKEA has a target of halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2050. This represents its commitment to cut CO2 emissions in all stages of its value chain.
IKEA signed a deal with Mober in 2021 for its last-mile delivery in the Philippines, using Mober’s fleet of electric vehicles.
Mober, which now operates more than 100 EVs, also invested in a 3,000-square-meter charging network in Pasay City, which is considered Southeast Asia’s largest logistics-focused EV charging facility. “It will be exclusively used for our 100-plus trucks. We have 60 units of DC, and we also have fast chargers,” Ng said.
The company also invests in digital innovation, including its proprietary Battery Management System (BMS) and Transport Management System (TMS), to assure its clients of efficiency and reliability.
BMS provides real-time monitoring of battery health and performance, enabling predictive maintenance and extending the lifespan of its fleet, while TMS optimizes delivery routes, reducing energy consumption.
In December 2024, Mober signed a financing deal with BDO Unibank Inc. for the acquisition of 60 new EV trucks. Mober earlier secured a $6 million blended investment from SEACEF II, which supports businesses that accelerate the region’s transition to clean energy and low-carbon solutions.
Aside from IKEA, Mober’s other clients include Nestlé, Nespresso, Maersk, Monde Nissin, Starbucks, Kuehne+Nagel and SM Appliance Center. “We offer them how to transition to EV at the same cost of ICE-powered vehicles,” Ng said.
He said Mober is committed to its sustainability goal despite the various challenges, including the lack of government support for EV infrastructure, hesitation on the part of most banks to lend to EV companies and the lifespan of batteries.
Forbes Asia included Mober in its 100 to Watch List 2024 for its significant impact on the logistics industry and consistent financial growth across the Asia-Pacific region.
“Hopefully, we can reach 2,000 or 2,500 units in five years,” Ng said. “I want Mober to grow, instead of competing with other companies.”