Gogoro launches its battery-swapping electric scooters in yet another country
Gogoro has been on quite a tear lately, expanding into an ever-increasing list of locales to offer its battery-swapping electric scooters. While much of its operations are focused on commercial clients that operate fleets of scooters riding constantly throughout the day, the company has also expanded its consumer sales for everyday riders running errands and commuting to work.
Now Gogoro has added another country to its list of consumer sales: the Philipines.
Unlike most electric scooter companies, Gogoro is known for more than just its vehicles. The company is perhaps most famous for its battery-swapping system, which has become a de facto standard for light electric vehicle battery swaps. Well over a million batteries have been produced, and nearly half a million battery swaps occur daily across Gogoro’s vast membership network of riders.
To date, Gogoro has counted over half a billion battery swaps at its thousands of automated battery swap kiosks.
Gogoro actually announced its initial entry into the Philippines a year ago when it partnered with B2B delivery companies to outfit scooter couriers with its vehicles and battery-swapping service.
But now the Taiwanese-based company has expanded its operations to offer consumer sales of its scooters in the country.
Just announced today, both commercial and consumer riders will be able to take advantage of the company’s leading standard for battery swapping, as well as its impressive track record for electric scooter design and production.
As Gogoro’s founder and CEO Horace Luke commented:
“Today is an important milestone in the transformation of urban mobility in the Philippines. Gogoro’s battery swapping and Smartscooters provide a positive path for Filipino consumers and businesses to embrace smart and sustainable transportation. This is the culmination of like-minded companies coming together to form a groundbreaking partnership to address the sustainability and transportation challenges, like dense traffic, long commutes and mass pollution, that exist in the Philippines. We are honored to be partnering with Ayala, Globe and 917Ventures.”
Gogoro Philippines is a joint venture between Ayala Corporation, Globe’s 917Ventures, and Gogoro. The Gogoro launch marks the climate tech debut of the Globe Group.
As President and CEO of Gogoro Philippines Bernie Llamzon explained, the launch is about providing a lifestyle change as much as it is about an environmentally conscious alternative to combustion-engine motorbikes:
“We are now witnessing a key turning point in the quest for sustainable and intelligent urban transportation in the Philippines. With Gogoro battery swapping, we are not only providing a convenient and eco-friendly solution for refueling but also embracing a lifestyle change that benefits our community and environment. We are proud to lead this charge and offer a glimpse into the future of mobility.”
Gogoro’s operations have expanded significantly from its start in Taiwan. The company now has operations in China, India, Indonesia, Israel, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as its domestic market of Taiwan.
Electrek’s Take
This is great to see, as it’s the consumer operations that excite me most. Sure, I know the company has to start with a B2B focus because it makes more operational/fiscal sense to enter countries first through that strategy. Delivery riders put on the most miles and you usually deal with a single major customer. But now we’ve seen multiple cases of Gogoro employing this “first B2B, then B2C” play, and it seems to be working well.
Where I live, there’s a mix of delivery riders and private owners that ride Gogoro scooters and use the battery-swapping network. I myself have a Gogoro scooter and pay around US $35 per month to swap batteries nearly as much as I want. Technically, there’s a monthly limit, but I’ve never reached even a third of the allowable energy usage limit in my plan. I can’t tell you how many other riders ask me about it at red lights.
The system works well, is convenient with plenty of swapping stations around, and the scooters are awesome to ride, to boot! I’m looking forward to watching Gogoro expand even further.
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On today’s informative episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got Honda engineers Jason Hwang and Emilio Sanchez to talk us through some of the things that make the GM Ultium-based Honda Prologue EV feel like a real Honda, and why that matters.
Jason and Emilio talk about some of the choices they made to make the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX feel different from its GM-branded cousins, and explain why this was much more than a case of badge-engineering. Give it a listen, then let us know what you think of the Prologue and ZDX in the comments.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Learn more by clicking here.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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The first EV charging hub funded by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program in the Eastern US is now online in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The town installed the region’s first DC fast chargers (four ports), along with four Level 2 chargers, at 59 North Main Street in South Deerfield.
These new charging stations, funded with $2.46 million from the CFI program, are conveniently located near Interstate 91 in Franklin County, the most rural county in Massachusetts, which serves drivers from Connecticut up to the Canadian border.
The hub also features local and regional bus stops and designated bike lanes with secure onsite bike racks. The chargers are meant to cater to everyone: from local residents and visitors to municipal EVs and commercial vehicles that service the region’s businesses, like those in food and beverage manufacturing.
Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, sees this as a model for future projects:
Multi-modal charging hubs in communities are key to giving more people the choice to ride and drive electric. The Town of Deerfield is showing leadership in building out convenient charging infrastructure that brings new transportation choices to rural and disadvantaged communities while supporting local commerce.
In recent years, Deerfield has experienced increased climate change-driven flooding from nearby rivers, including the Deerfield River, the Connecticut River, and the Bloody Brook. The project incorporates environmental engineering designed to mitigate and adapt to the effects of flooding and climate, including the installation of permeable asphalt and rain gardens, planting of native trees, grasses, and shrubs, and the creation of new greenspace in the center of Deerfield.
The Biden-Harris administration’s CFI Grant Program is expanding EV infrastructure nationwide. It offers grants for projects that complement and expand upon the initiatives of the NEVI program in urban, rural, and disadvantaged and low-income communities. So far, the CFI Grant Program has allocated over $1 billion to nearly 100 projects across the US, encouraging private investments and expanding the EV charging network to make EV ownership more practical and convenient.
Read more: The US reaches milestone of 200,000+ public EV charging ports
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Kia’s upcoming EV4 electric sedan was just spotted testing in the US for the first time. The low-cost EV is expected to make its big debut by the end of the year. Here’s a look at the new model.
The EV4 will round out Kia’s new “EVs for all” master plan launched last year. Kia showcased three new models, the EV3, EV4, and EV5, during its first annual EV Day in October 2023.
During the event, Kia outlined its new global strategy to “lead and accelerate the EV revolution” with a wide range of models priced from $30,000 to $80,000.
Kia plans to rapidly expand its lineup with a series of smaller, lower-priced models. It launched the EV9, its first three-row electric SUV, which is already proving to be a hot seller in the US. Starting at under $55,000, the EV9 is still a great deal compared to others in its class, but Kia plans to go even lower.
The EV3 and EV4 are expected to be among the most affordable electric vehicles when they arrive in the US.
Kia’s new EV4 is now testing in the US
Ahead of its official debut, Kia’s new EV4 sedan was recently caught driving on US streets for the first time.
The latest image from KindelAuto doesn’t reveal much more than what’s been shown in the past, but the fact that it’s now testing in the US is significant.
Kia’s EV3 is already on sale in Korea, starting at around $30,000 (42.08 million won). Earlier this week, the company said its new compact SUV is now available across Europe, starting at around $38,000 (36,000 euros) with a “segment-leading range” of up to 375 miles (WLTP).
Next up will be the EV4. Kia is expected to officially reveal the new EV by the end of the year, with deliveries starting in 2025. It could be as soon as next week at the 2024 LA Auto Show.
The interior will feature Kia’s advanced new ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens. An otherwise minalimalistic design is expected inside.
Kia’s EV4 will also be available in a hatchback variant. Although the hatch is likely aimed at European buyers, it was also recently spotted testing in the US for the first time.
We will learn official prices closer to launch, but the EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Kia is teasing five new vehicles for the US, at least one being a new EV, that will debut at the LA Auto Show next week. Will it be the EV3? EV4?
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