Gogoro’s electric scooters with swappable batteries have always been focused on environmental responsibility. But now the company is teaming up with leading household consumer goods brand MUJI to take things even further. And it involves your plastic waste.
MUJI is a Japanese-based home goods designer brand whose name actually translates to “no-brand quality goods.” The company is known for its stylish, high-quality, and affordably priced products that cover everything from stationary, furniture, clothing, and even food items.
In a new three-way partnership, MUJI, Gogoro, and world-renowned Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa have joined forces to collaborate on the newly designed Gogoro VIVA ME and Gogoro VIVA MIX ME electric scooters. They’ve also produced a complementary range of merchandise and accessories.
The Gogoro VIVA line of affordably priced electric scooters was first unveiled back in 2019, debuting polypropylene body panels produced from recycled material. Now the new VIVA ME and VIVA MIX ME models, produced in conjunction with MUJI and Fukasawa, are taking that second-life manufacturing idea even further.
As Gogoro founder and CEO Horace Luke explained:
Naoto Fukasawa offers such a fresh and unique approach to simplicity, functionality and beauty in everything he creates, so it was an honor to work with him on our new Smartscooter designs and accessories. This collaboration between Gogoro, MUJI and Naoto Fukasawa establishes a strong unified voice in promoting sustainable lifestyles in Taiwan and across the region, not just for transportation but across all aspects of life. Our joint ‘Recycling for Good’ initiative promotes the reduction of urban pollution through encouraging the public to recycle plastics at Gogoro and MUJI stores and their reuse in our new Smartscooters.
That Recycling for Good program that Luke mentioned is a new initiative that debuted as part of the partnership.
Recycling for Good encourages people in Taiwan, Gogoro’s domestic market, to participate in recycling polypropylene plastic waste at Gogoro and MUJI stores and empower them to take small actions toward building a more sustainable future.
Polypropylene objects recovered during the Recycling for Good initiative are screened, cut, granulated, reshaped, and regenerated into the body panels of the newly unveiled Gogoro Smartscooters. The polypropylene body material is also made of the same material as MUJI’s polypropylene storage series.
As MUJI Taiwan general manager Akihiro Yoshida explained:
MUJI and Gogoro are continuing the concept of a sustainable lifestyle and together have created this new series of Gogoro Smartscooters that are optimized for life and the environment. Gogoro’s commitment to being a sustainable business is aligned with MUJI’s business philosophy. MUJI is not just a store that sells goods, but it creates a simple and pleasant life through comprehensive sustainable thinking and takes practical action for sustainability of society and the earth.
The steps add to Gogoro’s impressive environmental figures, with the company’s 2.5 million users already responsible for reducing 680 million kg (approximately 750,000 tons) of CO2 emissions.
Instead of seeking out charging infrastructures like a conventional electric motorcycle or e-scooter, riders simply roll up to a Gogoro GoStation and swap a pair of depleted batteries for new ones.
The process takes as little as six seconds, meaning riders can essentially instantly “recharge” and be on their way.
The company has expanded aggressively after dominating its domestic market of Taiwan, spreading its operations to nearly a dozen countries so far.
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The Tesla Cybertruck used in the Las Vegas bombing appears to have landed in an auction for sale as salvaged, still destroyed. CEO Elon Musk said Tesla would put it back on the road.
Good luck with that.
In January, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded at the Trump Tower in Las Vegas.
The driver is believed to have shot himself in the head right before the vehicle exploded. Evidence proved that some firework mortars and gas canisters were inside the Cybertruck’s bed.
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After the explosion, Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised the Cybertruck for “containing” the explosion and reducing the damage.
He even went as far as claiming that the powertrain was still working and that Tesla would rebuild the Cybertruck and bring it back on the road:
“Once we get this Cybertruck back to Tesla, we’ll buff out the scratches and get it back on the road.”
When questioned about the seriousness of this statement, he affirmed, “No, I mean it.”
They clearly haven’t yet because the Cybertruck has now shown up as a salvaged vehicle for auction on IAA’s site:
It’s not clear if Tesla had an opportunity to get the truck until now, but they certainly could buy it now.
Electrek’s Take
Good luck rebuilding the truck. Maybe they can salvage the battery pack and motors in a new truck, but there’s no way or point to salvage the chassis.
Elon has already confirmed that Tesla engineers have looked at the car. I’m sure that they had the opportunity to get it from the insurance company.
I bet that Tesla doesn’t want the car, and it won’t be back on the road as Elon claimed. You can add it to the list of lies he told this year. Are we in the hundreds already? And we are only in March.
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What’s better than an all-electric boat? An all-electric boat with a hot tub in it. Niche boatbuilder Spacruzzi made waves (but limited wake) last year with an electric hot tub boat model showcased around the US, including Lake Tahoe and even on the Chicago River. For 2025, Spacruzzi has introduced a sleeker and more refined version of its electric boat and opened its waiting list for a limited number of builds scheduled for this year.
Spacruzzi is a marine vessel developer whose flagship product shares the same name and looks to stand out as a luxury option for both private owners and rental operators. Per the company website:
While there have been other versions of hot tub boats on the market over the years, nothing comes close to matching the experience of a Spacruzzi. From the attention to detail, luxury finishes and patent pending features to the outstanding build quality and ease of ownership – we have set out to create the most sought after experience on the water. We built Spacruzzi to provide an unforgettable experience to the end user while giving rental operators and entrepeneuers an exciting new offering to build and grow their business and it is our mission to enable this industry to thrive.
Each electric boat is designed, fabricated, and assembled by hand at Spacruzzi’s facilities in Polson, Montana. They arrive fully compliant for anyone and everyone to operate and deliver mobility technology that exceeds environmental regulations.
A previous version of the Spacruzzi electric hot tub boat appeared on the FOX game show Snake Oil, and several were put into rental operations on the Chicago River—available even during some of the colder months.
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Recently, Spacruzzi introduced an updated version of its electric hot-tub boat featuring a more luxurious look and feel. Additionally, a select few can put a deposit down to secure one for themselves this year.
Spacruzzi introduces upgrades to its 2025 hot tub boat
The images above show the updated version of Spacruzzi’s electric hot tub boat. This model is 15.6 feet long and 8.2 feet wide, with a draft of only 2.75 feet, enabling it to navigate shallow waters. When on the water, the Spacruzzi electric hot tub boat offers room for 6 passengers and weighs about 4,500 pounds at max capacity, alongside 400 gallons of water in the tub itself, which can be heated to up to 104℉.
The hot tub boat is propelled by a 3.0 Torqeedo electric motor pod that delivers approximately 3-5 horsepower, translating to 4-5 mph speeds on the water. A USCG-compliant propane heater supports the vessel’s hot tub operations, and two compartments aft of the vessel offer room for up to four lithium battery packs capable of powering the motor, heater, and internal water treatment system for up to 16 hours.
Each boat includes one battery pack that can deliver between four and five hours of running time on a single charge. Each boat also has AC charging capabilities, but Spacruzzi can add fast charging for an additional fee. Speaking of fees, Spacruzzi shared that it has opened its waitlist for its 2025 hot tub boat production schedule.
Interested individuals or businesses can secure an electric hot tub boat build with a $2,500 non-refundable deposit. When Spacruzzi is ready to assemble your vessel, it requires a 50% deposit minus the $2,500 waitlist deposit. The final 50% payment is due when the order is complete; it will be shipped to your specified destination. Spacruzzi says builds take about 90-100 days after receiving the 50% production deposit. Per Spacruzzi, the base price of its updated boat is $68,500.
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Ford is investing billions in Europe as it struggles to keep pace with the wave of Chinese and other low-cost EVs hitting the market. With another 4.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in funding, Ford looks to turn things around, but it’s also calling on lawmakers to do more.
Ford injects billions in Europe to fight Chinese EVs
With “significant losses” over the past few years, Ford is restructuring its business in Europe as it aims to cut costs and simplify operations.
Back in November, the American automaker said it planned to cut another 4,000 jobs in Europe by 2027, blaming “lower-than-expected” demand and mounting pressure from new EVs entering the market, including Chinese brands like BYD and SAIC’s MG.
Ford announced plans to invest another 4.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) on Monday to support its transformation. The funds will be used to reduce the growing debt at its German subsidiary, Ford-werke GmbH.
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In a statement, the company said the new capital injection will help reduce debt at Ford plants in Germany and fund a multi-year business plan. Ford’s German unit has about 5.8 billion euros ($6.3 billion) of debt.
Ford Explorer EV production in Cologne (Source: Ford)
Ford Motor Company’s vice chairman, John Lawler, explained, “With the new capital for our German subsidiary, we are driving the transformation of our business in Europe and strengthening our competitiveness with a new product range.”
Lawler stressed the need to “simplify our structures, reduce costs and increase efficiency” if it wants to compete. He added that Europe needs “a clear political agenda” to promote EV adoption that aligns with consumer demand.
Ford’s electric vehicles in Europe from left to right: Puma Gen-E, Explorer, Capri, and Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)
Over the past few years, Ford has invested heavily in Europe to better compete, including $2 billion to upgrade its Cologne manufacturing plant to produce EVs.
The plant builds two models, Ford’s electric Explorer and Capri. Although Ford revealed its fourth EV for Europe (including the Mustang Mach-E) in December, the Puma Gen-E is being built in Romania.
Electrek’s Take
Can Ford spark life back into its European business? It’s not the only one struggling to keep up with new competition, Volkswagen is also cutting jobs in its home market and is even considering closing plants.
Chinese auto brands market share in Europe (Source: JATO Dynamics)
Legacy automakers, like Ford and Volkswagen, have been caught off guard by Chinese EV leaders like BYD’s aggressive expansion overseas to drive growth.
According to Jato Dynamics, Chinese brands are quickly gaining traction in Europe. In January 2025, 37,134 Chinese vehicles were registered, a 52% increase from the previous year. During the same time, Chinese brands’ market share grew from 2.4% to 3.7%. Combined, it would now put them ahead of Ford.
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