The Taiwanese electric scooter company Gogoro has become an industry leader for both its electric scooters and its fast-swapping batteries. The company currently has multiple electric scooter models positioned for different markets. Today it unveiled its latest generation scooter, the Gogoro 3.
The new Gogoro 3 electric scooter features a total redesign and will leverage the company’s new higher capacity batteries to reach 170 km (105 mi) of range. Those batteries use 2170-format cells supplied by Panasonic – Tesla’s own battery partner.
The new Gogoro 3 electric scooter
The Gogoro 3 is rated for a top speed of 82 km/h (51 mph) for the standard model or 86 km/h (53 mph) for the Gogoro 3 Plus.
The scooter features a 6 kW (8 hp) mid drive motor providing up to 180 Nm (132 lb-ft) of torque at the rear wheel. That level of performance places the Gogoro 3 into the 125cc class of scooters.
The company’s latest scooter offers a new aesthetic that departs from the brand’s traditional rounded front fascia. The new “droplet” design dips on either side of the bare metal handlebars.
The body material has also been changed to recyclable polypropylene, which Gogoro says is more scratch and ding resistant as well as being more environmentally friendly.
The panels also allow for a variety of two-tone color schemes.
To start the Gogoro 3, a NFC-enabled iQ System smart keycard is used. It is simply waved over the large, backlit LCD display.
The simplified display includes all of the basic information and even has individual battery readouts for the two modular battery packs.
The batteries can be swapped at one of over a thousand battery swap stations spread throughout Taiwan. In Taipei alone, riders are never further than 1 km (0.6 mi) from a battery swap station.
Riders enroll in a subscription service that allows them to roll up, swap their depleted batteries for freshly charged batteries, then continue on their way. The company says that the entire process takes just 6 seconds.
The new batteries offer a higher energy density in the same shell by utilizing Panasonic’s new 2170 battery cells to replace the previous 18650 cells. Panasonic is also Tesla’s battery manufacturing partner. The company’s 2170 cells were first included in the Model 3, and may eventually make their way into the Model S and X.
Behind the Gogoro 3’s under seat battery compartment is a 26.5 L storage compartment that is large enough to fit two separate three-quarter helmets.
And if that isn’t enough storage for you, there’s a rubberized cup holder and bag clip up front as well.
The scooter comes with both a side stand and an easy-to-use center stand, providing multiple parking options.
The Gogoro 3 includes larger 14″ front wheels and 13″ rear wheels, as well as a synchronized braking system that links the front and rear hydraulic disc brakes. That provides safer braking in emergency scenarios.
And if you thought this scooter would be prohibitively expensive, you’d be mistaken. The Gogoro 3 electric scooter is priced at US $2,555, though will cost around half of that after local subsidies for electric vehicles.
Gogoro is scooping up market share
Gogoro has been on a roll lately, increasing their local monthly market share to 14%, up from 7% last year. And that’s for all scooters in Taiwan, electric or gas-powered. In just the electric scooter market, Gogoro holds a dominating 97% of the market. Local competitor KYMCO also offers their own Ionex electric scooter line, but hasn’t been able to (or hasn’t been willing to) produce its electric scooters in sufficient numbers to rival Gogoro.
Gogoro now has over 150,000 electric scooters on the road and has even offered its battery system for use by other companies. Yamaha and others have taken Gogoro up on the deal, designing their own electric scooters to accept Gogoro’s swappable battery system.
Gogoro’s scooters aren’t currently available in the US, but can be found in Europe as part of scooter rental services like COUP in Paris and Berlin.
What do you think of Gogoro’s new electric scooters? Let us know in the comments below.
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