Battery-swapping giant Gogoro announces its biggest international expansion yet
Gogoro, the Taiwanese-based battery swapping and energy storage leader, has just announced a massive expansion in India to create the “world’s largest sustainability-focused portable energy system to date”.
A three-way strategic energy partnership was announced today between Gogoro, the Indian State of Maharashtra and Indian tier-1 automotive system manufacturer Belrise Industries. The trio plan to develop battery-swapping infrastructure on a scale never seen before.
Gogoro and Belrise announced that the pair are planning a joint 50-50 partnership to invest approximately US$2.5 billion over eight years with the State of Maharashtra government to build energy infrastructure across the state.
For those of you not up on your Indian geography, Maharashtra is home to Mumbai and is the most economically productive state in India. Maharashtra has 120 million residents and a GDP of over US $450 billion.
Maharashtra brings the perfect setting for sustainable energy storage and mobility, while Gogoro brings a proven system in its battery-swapping GoStations designed to power electric scooters and other energy-dependent infrastructure. Belrise produces around one third of all the two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicle chassis in India and operates 29 automotive component manufacturing facilities in the country.
So where is that massive US $2.5 billion investment going? The companies are planning to build an open and accessible network of smart energy infrastructure in Maharashtra. The infrastructure will establish battery swapping and smart battery stations as a local standard for both mobility and energy storage.
It’s not clear whether that means that Gogoro’s own electric scooters would be deployed locally, or whether Indian-made electric scooters that employ Gogoro’s batteries would dominate the market. With Belrise’s involvement, the latter could be likely. Past international expansion deals from Gogoro have included both the company’s own electric scooters and other manufacturers that have built their own two-wheeled electric vehicles around Gogoro’s battery standard.
Either way, the partners described how they expect the plan to accelerate job growth throughout the smart energy, electric vehicle, and sustainability value chain.
As Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis explained:
“As a national leader in sustainability, it is important for the State of Maharashtra to embrace new technologies that are open, accessible and enable dynamic solutions that can accelerate the transition to smarter sustainable cities and set an example that other states in India can follow. We are partnering with Gogoro and Belrise to deploy the world’s largest and most innovative smart energy infrastructure to utilize battery swapping for solving the unique and distributed energy challenges we face daily. This project will enable new alternatives to the fossil fuels solutions many of our residents use today.”
Gogoro’s CEO Horace Luke added that today’s announcement was a group effort that is emblematic of how sustainable cities will need to be built in the future:
“The future of smart sustainable cities and countries is not about a single company or government but about a community coming together to instill a new way of thinking and a new way of utilizing sustainable energy in an open and accessible way. This partnership represents the future and this new way of thinking – not just about sustainable transportation, but about an entirely new system. That is why we truly believe in building open and accessible infrastructure that will uplift the entire ecosystem. Together, the State of Maharashtra, Belrise Industries and Gogoro plan to shift energy usage and establish this new sustainable economy that will encourage jobs creation, establish new technical and sustainable industrial capabilities, and ultimately increase state exports.”
We don’t have an exact timeline yet, but Gogoro tells us that the battery swapping infrastructure will begin its deployment around Maharashtra at some point this year.
The most obvious impact in the beginning will be within the mobility sector, where Gogoro’s battery swapping system will allow electric scooters to operate without the need for a local charging system.
Shrikant Badve, the Managing Director of Belrise Industries, explained that the partnership opens the door to a new generation of transportation products:
“Clean energy is the future, and now is the time for Indian businesses to begin their transition to a new model of sustainable operations. As a manufacturing leader in India’s transportation industry, we are embracing this for our own business, customers, and communities. Today we are partnering with Gogoro, a global innovation leader in smart sustainable energy and India’s most industrious state of Maharashtra to deploy the largest portable battery swapping infrastructure of its kind to enable a new generation of products and services that Maharashtra’s residents can embrace.”
Electrek’s Take
Wow, it’s hard to overstate the sheer size and potential impact of this partnership. Mumbai has 17 million residents itself, let alone another 100 million spread around Maharashtra. This is a huge stepping stone to take a proven battery swapping standard and roll it out on an unprecedented scale. It also showcases some of the non-scooter applications for Gogoro’s battery systems, with the plan discussing aspects such as “smart agriculture” and “distributed energy storage.”
The move follows Gogoro’s strategy of targeting established two-wheeler markets that are in need of a major shift away from polluting combustion engine motorcycles and scooters.
My heart goes out to everyone in the west who keeps watching Gogoro’s near monthly expansions and has to wonder if they’ll ever get to try out a battery swap for themselves. I’ll try not to rub in the fact that I live in the only western city to get Gogoro’s battery swapping infrastructure. Hmm, I may just need to go for a ride now. You know, for work.
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Environment
Zoox opens new production facility where its purpose-built robotaxis will be built [Video]
![Zoox opens new production facility where its purpose-built robotaxis will be built [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/06/Zoox-production-hero.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Robotaxi developer Zoox has cut the ribbon on the first serial production facility for purpose-built robotaxi vehicles in the United States. This new cutting-edge facility will be able to assemble thousands of Zoox’s unique autonomous vehicles each year as its commercial services expand.
Zoox is a California-based Robotaxi developer that continues to expand its network of test vehicles to make way for the rollout of its unique purpose-built vehicle, unlike anything else on the roads.
While much of Zoox’s current test fleet consists of existing vehicles retrofitted with sensors and cameras, Zoox has designed and delivered an entirely purpose-built EV without pedals or a steering wheel. We’ve seen those Robotaxis roll off Zoox’s existing production line in Fremont, California, before hitting Bay Area and Las Vegas roads.
Today, Zoox officially opened a second production facility closer to its California headquarters. This facility will house dedicated assembly lines for its bespoke robotaxis. Zoox’s latest video, which you can view below, provides an in-depth look at those new production lines.
Zoox moves Robotaxi production to new CA facility
This morning, Zoox shared an exciting look at its new production facility, which was described as a “first of its kind” for purpose-built robotaxi assembly in the US. Per Zoox, the 220,000 square-foot plant is located in Hayward, California, and consists of one assembly line which, at full scale, can produce 10,000 robotaxis per year.
In addition to serial production, Zoox’s second facility will house robotaxi engineering, software and hardware integration, component storage, shipping and receiving, plus the end-of-line testing required before any vehicles are deployed.
Zoox made efforts to ensure its new state-of-the-art plant was sustainable and based in the US to create an environment in which autonomous robots and humans work side by side to build fully autonomous robotaxis. Per Zoox:
Constructing a state-of-the-art facility also provided an opportunity to showcase our values at Zoox. The facility is situated near our Foster City headquarters, fostering collaboration between engineers and other teams. Zoox owns, operates, and assembles these purpose-built robotaxis, giving the company oversight of the entire process end-to-end and the opportunity to flex the production depending on expansion and market demand. As the robotaxi design advances, the facility’s unique layout and building equipment will be able to accommodate these future changes and features.
In an assembly facility focused on building autonomous robots, our Zoox crew remains an essential part of the manufacturing process. Robots on the floor are primarily used for specific tasks, such as applying adhesive for glass installation (which requires precision to avoid leaks and smudges) and transporting the robotaxi down the assembly line, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow. The rest is done manually.
Zoox shared that its initial facility in the Bay Area has been repurposed into a dedicated facility for its retrofitted test fleet and sensor pod configuration. While production of the purpose-built robotaxis is exciting to see, much of Zoox’s US operations revolve around the retrofits for now.
Zoox has said that paid robotaxi rides to the public will begin in Las Vegas soon, followed by San Francisco. Other cities like Austin and Miami will join, but not for a few years. Meanwhile, Zoox continues testing other areas such as Los Angeles and, most recently, Atlanta.
In the meantime, Zoox provided a look at the assembly of its purpose-built robotaxi vehicles before they make their way out into the real world. Check it out:
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The Justice Department announced Wednesday the largest-ever U.S. seizure of cryptocurrency linked to so-called “pig butchering” scams that have cost victims billions globally.
Federal prosecutors filed a civil forfeiture action targeting more than $225 million in cryptocurrency traced to a sprawling web of fraudulent investment platforms. Victims were tricked into believing they were investing in legitimate crypto ventures, only to be scammed by criminal networks often operating overseas.
“This seizure of $225.3 million in funds linked to cryptocurrency investment scams marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history,” said Shawn Bradstreet, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s San Francisco Field Office, in a statement.
Authorities said the network was connected to at least 400 suspected victims worldwide, including dozens in the U.S. Crypto fraud was responsible for more than $5.8 billion in reported losses last year, according to FBI data.
The seized funds are now subject to forfeiture proceedings aimed at eventually returning money to victims.
The U.S. Secret Service and FBI used blockchain analysis and other tools to trace the cryptocurrency back to stolen assets. The DOJ credited Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, for assisting in the operation.
According to the complaint, the funds were linked to the theft and laundering of money from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, commonly known as confidence scams that often involve romance.
The network relied on hundreds of thousands of transactions to obscure the origin of the funds, using sophisticated blockchain maneuvers to conceal the flow of stolen assets.
Environment
BYD has now sold over 1 million Seagull EVs, the $10,000 electric car that’s going global
Starting at under $10,000, the Seagull is the most affordable EV BYD offers in China. It’s also the company’s best seller. In just over two years, BYD has sold over 1 million Seagull EV models. Now, it’s rolling out to new global markets.
BYD Seagull EV sales surpass the 1 million mark
BYD officially launched its low-cost electric car in April 2023, with deliveries kicking off the following month. In just 25 months, BYD Seagull sales surpassed 1 million.
The Seagull went back and forth with the Tesla Model Y for a few months in 2024 as the best-selling EV in China. In November, it outsold every car in China, including gas-powered vehicles.
After selling an additional 60,131 Seagull models in May, BYD announced that its cumulative sales had reached nearly 993,000.
With just over 7,000 models to go, we knew the milestone was coming soon. During a launch event for its new Seal 06 EV on June 6, BYD officially announced that Seagull EV sales reached 1 million.
The Seagull typically starts at 69,800 yuan, or about $9,300. However, after slashing prices last month, the low-cost EV now starts at just 55,800 yuan ($7,800).
It’s available in three trims: Vitality, Freedom, and Flying. Two battery options are offered, 30.1 kWh and 38.9 kWh, which provide a CLTC range of 305 km (190 mi) and 405 km (252 mi), respectively.
BYD claimed that the Seagull opened “a new era of electricity being lower than oil” after launching the new model in 2024.
| BYD Seagull EV trim | Starting Price | Range (CLTC) |
| Vitality | Normal: $9,300 (69,800 yuan) Now: $7,800 (55,800 yuan) |
190 mi (305 km) |
| Freedom | $10,300 (75,800 yuan) | 190 mi (305 km) |
| Flying | $11,700 (85,800 yuan) | 252 mi (405 km) |
Earlier this year, BYD upgraded most of its lineup at no extra cost, including the Seagull EV, with its new “God’s Eye” smart driving system.
The Seagull measures 3,780 mm in length, 1,715 mm in width, and 1,540 mm in height, which is even smaller than the outgoing Chevy Bolt EV and VW ID.3. It’s closer in size to the Fiat 500e.
In Europe and the UK, BYD launched the Seagull EV under the name Dolphin Surf. It’s slightly bigger (+210 mm in length) and more powerful than the Chinese variant.
Although it’s not quite $10,000, prices start at just £18,650 (just over $25,000) in the UK, which is still one of the most affordable options. BYD’s base Dolphin Surf “Active” has a WLTP range of 203 miles. An extended-range “Boost” trim is available with a range of up to 305 miles (507 km). It starts at £21,950 ($30,000).
Electrek’s Take
The Seagull has been a huge part of BYD’s success over the past few years. It’s already rolling out in overseas markets, such as Brazil and Mexico, under the name Dolphin Mini.
For the first time, BYD registered more vehicles than Tesla in Europe in April. It also outsold Tesla in the UK last month.
The Dolphin Surf’s arrival is only expected to accelerate BYD’s momentum going into the end of the year. Although BYD is best known for its ultra-affordable EVs, like the Seagull (or Dolphin Surf), it’s rapidly expanding its lineup with new luxury vehicles, entry-level models, mid-size SUVs, and electric supercars.
One thing is certain: BYD will be a name to continue to watch closely over the next few years as the industry shifts to electric.
BYD’s commitment to ending production of vehicles powered entirely by gas engines in 2022 is quickly paying dividends.
Source: CarNewsChina, BYD
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