The archive · Logistics & Supply · Strategic decision · 2022–2026
Xpress bets a Filipino-owned EV fleet can take on Grab; 100K downloads, 120+ EVs
Philippines' first Filipino-owned EV mobility super app: launched Jul 2024, 100K+ app downloads, 120+ hybrid/EV fleet, Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2025.
Xpress Super App
What the business is
Xpress Super App is a Philippine ride-hailing, delivery and courier platform (motorcycle, sedan, SUV) with plans for flight and ferry bookings and digital payments; it owns an EV/hybrid fleet and finances drivers' vehicle transitions.
Starting capital：No external VC round disclosed; backed by the PJ Lhuillier/Cebuana Lhuillier group, which co-funds driver vehicle financing, and by AppFactorie.
How it started
Xpress was incorporated in March 2022 by AppFactorie founder Nathan Taylor and PJ Lhuillier Group president Jean Henri Lhuillier, and officially launched in Metro Manila in July 2024 as the Philippines' first Filipino-owned EV mobility company. The bet was that a national challenger could enter a ride-hailing market long dominated by Grab, using electrification and local ownership as differentiators.
What happened
In May 2025 Xpress rolled out 40 BYD electric and hybrid vehicles, and in August 2025 Forbes Asia named it to the '100 to Watch' list; Rappler reported the app had passed 100,000 Google Play downloads with a driver app at 10,000+ installs. The fleet grew past 120 hybrid and EV units with BYD and Cebuana Lhuillier partnerships, service expanded to Bataan, Pampanga, Laguna, Dumaguete and Boracay, and in June 2026 Xpress launched Xpress Go: a PHP 30 million driver program with zero commission for 60 days, then 12% locked in writing, plus decal payments and referral bonuses.
How it ended up
Live and scaling: regional expansion, Forbes Asia recognition, a growing owned EV fleet, and plans for EV motorcycles plus GAC and Hongqi partnerships.
Background
Xpress Super App is a Filipino-owned mobility platform incorporated in March 2022 by AppFactorie founder Nathan Taylor and PJ Lhuillier Group president Jean Henri Lhuillier, officially launching in Metro Manila in July 2024. It offers ride-hailing by motorcycle, sedan and SUV plus delivery and courier services, with plans to add flight and ferry bookings and digital payments. It brands itself the Philippines' first Filipino-owned EV mobility company.
The founding bet was that electrification plus local ownership could open a door in a ride-hailing market dominated by Grab. Xpress acquired an owned hybrid and EV fleet — starting with 40 BYD vehicles in May 2025 and passing 120 units — and paired it with driver financing through Cebuana Lhuillier so drivers could switch to cleaner, cheaper-to-run vehicles. That structure is what lets it hold commission at 12%, versus the 20% it says other platforms charge.
Traction followed: Forbes Asia named Xpress to its '100 to Watch' list in August 2025, Rappler reported over 100,000 Google Play downloads and 10,000+ driver-app installs, and service expanded to Bataan, Pampanga, Laguna, Dumaguete and Boracay. In June 2026 the company launched Xpress Go, a PHP 30 million program offering 60 days of zero commission, a written 12% rate, decal payments and referral bonuses, funded from its own fleet and corporate accounts rather than external capital.
What has to be true
- Electrification is a cost advantage, not just branding: owned EVs and hybrids cut per-trip running costs, which funds a structurally lower commission.
- Driver economics win supply: with fuel prices high, zero-commission onboarding and a locked 12% rate attract TNVS drivers, and drivers are the scarce resource in ride-hailing.
- Financing removes the switch barrier: Cebuana Lhuillier vehicle loans mean drivers don't carry the full EV transition cost alone.
- Local ownership differentiates: 'Filipinos support Filipinos' positioning gives the challenger a narrative Grab cannot copy.
What can be applied
Beat the incumbent on unit economics, not subsidies: owned EV fleets and driver financing let a challenger charge less commission, and in ride-hailing the scarce asset is driver earnings.
Aftermath
As of 2026-09-02 Xpress is live and scaling across Metro Manila, Bataan, Pampanga, Laguna, Dumaguete and Boracay, with 120+ hybrid and electric vehicles. Its June 2026 Xpress Go program — PHP 30 million, zero commission for 60 days, then 12% locked in writing — targets 500 Metro Manila driver slots. It is exploring GAC and Hongqi partnerships and an EV motorcycle line, and keeps its super-app roadmap of bookings and payments. No external funding round or acquisition has been disclosed.
Sources
- 3 Filipino startups make it to Forbes Asia's '100 To Watch' list
- Xpress Launches 'Xpress Go' — Zero Commission for 60 Days for Filipino TNVS Drivers
- Xpress invests PHP 30 million in driver program, keeps 12% commission after relief period
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