The Indian State of Maharashtra and taiwan based Gogoro Inc. (Nasdaq: GGR), a global technology leader in battery swapping ecosystems that enable sustainable mobility solutions for cities, today announced that the Maharashtra government had presented Gogoro with an offer letter to enter into an ‘Ultra Mega Project’ agreement to manufacture vehicles, smart battery packs, and battery swap stations, and deploy an open and accessible battery swapping infrastructure in the State beginning in late 2023. The announcement was made, at a Maharashtra State Government press conference, by Chief Minister Shri. Eknath Shinde.
The proposed Ultra Mega Project deal would exceed $1.5 billion and include financial incentives and support from Maharashtra. The offer letter follows an MOU between Maharashtra and Gogoro that was previously announced at Davos in January 2023.
The Maharashtra government categorizes Ultra Mega Projects as significant strategic investments exceeding $500 million that usually result in government incentives to ensure successful project execution. Gogoro’s request for financial incentives was approved and endorsed by the Maharashtra state cabinet and the two parties expect to complete the agreement soon.
“As the leading State in India for electric vehicles, Maharashtra is demonstrating our strong commitment towards sustainable transportation for all. We are creating a smart battery ecosystem with Gogoro, a leader in sustainable vehicles and electric fuel technologies. As part of the project, Gogoro will establish its India vehicle, smart battery, and battery swapping station manufacturing in Maharashtra and deploy their industry-leading smart battery infrastructure in the state, generating approximately 10,000 direct and indirect jobs,” said Hon. Chief Minister Shri. Eknath Shinde.
“In line with the vision set by our Hon Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi, Maharashtra is fully committed to helping build a green and sustainable future for our state. I am delighted to announce that today we approved an ultra mega project with Gogoro, a Nasdaq listed, global two-wheel EV company,” said Devendra Fadnavis, The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. “Gogoro aims to produce two-wheel EV’s that utilize its open and accessible battery swap technology which is absolutely state of the art. We have provided Gogoro with the necessary financial and other key incentives to usher in a new paradigm shift in the way we will move people across metros and cities. The EV revolution is gripping the world and our state is not far behind in its early adoption. With this project we anticipate creating a fertile ecosystem for local manufacturers who will avail the necessary tech transfer and help create world-class products for our citizens.”
Gogoro plans to build a smart energy infrastructure in Maharashtra that is open and accessible and establishes battery swapping and smart battery stations as a leading source for mobility and energy storage. The deployment is also expected to accelerate job growth throughout the smart energy, electric vehicle, and sustainable value chain. Gogoro is expected to lead the increase of foreign direct investment into the state of Maharashtra in both supply chain capabilities and smart battery infrastructure.
“Building on Gogoro’s successful deployment of an open battery swapping network that supports multiple vehicle makers in Taiwan, we plan to proceed in partnership with the Maharashtra government to bring Gogoro vehicles, smart batteries and swap stations to India starting with the state of Maharashtra. We are focused on creating a domestic supplier ecosystem that allows for domestic growth and foreign market expansion,” said Horace Luke, founder, and CEO of Gogoro. “It is essential that we transform industries and infrastructure to successfully enter a new era of clean, connected mobility. We are excited to be partnering with the Maharashtra government in its vision to transform urban transportation and provide a better path forward for its residents and businesses.”
The battery swapping infrastructure expects to begin deploying across Maharashtra in late 2023 which will leverage Gogoro’s smart energy ecosystem including smart battery stations, swapping technologies, network management solutions, and will provide numerous innovations to the State, contributing in the areas of smart city design and development, energy storage stations & systems, smart mobility sharing, smart electric vehicles, demand response services and distributed energy storage, among other applications.
With more than 120 million residents, Maharashtra is India’s largest economy and industrialized State with a gross domestic product of more than US$450 billion that accounts for 16-percent of India’s industrial output.
Cautionary Statement
Finalization and implementation of the Proposed Ultra Mega Project Investment Plan is subject to, among other things, the execution of mutually agreeable definitive agreement(s), completion of due diligence, procurement of necessary funding, approval by the board of directors of Gogoro, and obtaining governmental approvals that may be required in the State of Maharashtra or elsewhere in India and Taiwan where relevant. Although both parties are actively working to finalize the agreement, there can be no assurance that a definitive agreement will be entered into, the required approval will be obtained or that the Proposed Ultra Mega Project Investment Plan will be implemented or consummated on the terms set forth herein or at all.
