Gogoro has been in the news for quite some time, announcing earlier this year that they plan to set up an electric battery charging & swapping grid in China. Well, here it is!
45 battery swapping stations have opened up in Hangzhou, and as reported by Motorbike Writer, Gogoro co-founder Horace Luke aims to have 80 stations by the end of the year for commuters to make use of.
Once this initial period in Hangzhou is sorted out, plans are to expand to more cities with the help of investors Dachangjiang Group (DCJ) & Yadea, two of China’s largest two-wheeled manufacturers, and will likely operate under the pseudonym ‘Huan Huan’ in other areas.
With two large manufacturers on board, specific electric vehicles are being developed to integrate with the battery swapping technology, such as the ‘Smartscooter’. Gogoro is also in the electric scooter game by producing components and battery technology for Yamaha and Suzuki.
Owners of these scoots are required to pay a monthly subscription fee to access the battery network, then they simply ride up and swap out batteries on the go.
It’s been a whirlwind few months for Taiwanese company, who last month announced its plans to go public with a $2.35 billion deal with Poema global, and a recent deal with Hero MotoCorp (the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world) for electric vehicle battery swapping infrastructure in India.
Gogoro electric battery swapping network - is this the future?
Some may turn their nose up on electric means of transport, but for short-distance urban commuting as a means of no-thrills transport, electric vehicles with quick battery swapping recharges just makes sense.
There will be plenty to come from this company, and it’ll no doubt be introduced in European cities as time goes on.
