Gogoro launches new Pulse electric scooter as highest performance model yet
After several recent international expansion announcements, Gogoro unveiled its latest electric scooter today. The new model, known as the Gogoro Pulse, relies on the company’s existing swappable battery standard yet ushers in a technological revolution as Gogoro’s highest-performance electric scooter yet.
The design is also starkly modern, swapping the bubbly curves of past Gogoro models for sharp angles and even more embedded tech. That’s quite a feat, considering Gogoro’s existing models have long been regarded as some of the most tech-forward electric scooters on the market.
“Gogoro has been widely recognized for its contribution to the transformation of the urban two-wheel industry with its integration of cutting-edge innovation, performance, and design that created a smart new electric user experience,” said Horace Luke, founder and CEO of Gogoro. “The Pulse introduces a new and exhilarating Gogoro riding experience that utilizes our latest innovations in electric performance and aerodynamic efficiency with advanced lighting and an immersive interactive user experience.”
The Gogoro Pulse uses a brand-new motor developed by the company to power the scooter’s Hyper Drive powertrain. The new 9 kW-rated H1 motor is paired with the company’s new Hypercore, a powerful smart system that delivers state-of-the-art traction control – a critical piece of kit for a scooter that puts out 378 Nm (279 lb-ft) of torque at the rear wheel. For reference, that’s over twice the torque of a Ducati Panigale V4, in case anyone was counting.
The motor is said to offer a 0-50 km/h (31 mph) time of 3.05 seconds, which should blow away essentially any other 125cc-equivalent scooter, gas or electric. Gogoro hasn’t shared the scooter’s top speed, but considering it offers around 50% more power than the company’s existing 95-100 km/h (59-62 mph) scooters, it is likely no slouch in the speed department.
That traction control is also integral for implementing a series of new ride modes that are now available from a dial on the handlebars, with modes including Range, Dirt, City, Touring, Track, and Custom mode.
Interestingly, not only is the H1 motor more powerful than previous Gogoro powertrains, but it is also more efficient. That’s due, in part, by a new cooling method developed by the company. While Gogoro already used liquid cooling on previous models, the Pulse combines it with ducted air-cooling for even more effective heat dissipation. Gogoro also spent considerable efforts on the vehicle’s aerodynamics, ensuring it slips through the wind tunnel (and down the road) more efficiently than any other model.
The just-announced Gogoro Pulse comes with the company’s new Smart Cockpit dashboard built around a massive 10.25-inch panoramic HD touch display that integrates with Gogoro’s iQ Touch HD user interface. The new iQ Touch HD system offers a variety of new features and services including different ride modes, turn-by-turn GPS navigation with real-time traffic information, and Gogoro GoStation locations for quick and convenient battery swaps.
Gogoro’s Smart Cockpit makes the Pulse the first two-wheel vehicle in the world to be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon QWM2290 digital chassis.
If anything, it looks much more like what you’d see on the dashboard of a luxury car, not an electric scooter.
Continuing with the luxury car theme, the Gogoro Pulse uses a new advanced active-matrix lighting system with 13 independent LED units to create a new level of safety, awareness, and convenience. The system uses parallel arrays of LED units to create the first-ever matrix-sequenced headlight in the urban two-wheel industry.
Each of the 13 individual LED units actively switches on and off depending on various dynamic riding factors to adapt to the rider’s speed, turns, and weather conditions. As the Pulse’s speed increases, the active-matrix lights dynamically extend light further out to provide more visibility at increased distances and create more time for the rider to react appropriately. The headlight also uses active-corner lighting to create a wider band of light aimed in the direction of each turn, further illuminating deeper into the inside of the turn.
The Gogoro Pulse will also include Gogoro’s scooter key in the Apple Wallet app and employ the built-in Apple Find My feature to locate the scooter, which is helpful if the scooter is stolen or simply lost in a large parking lot. With the scooter key in the Apple Wallet app, the Gogoro Pulse can lock, unlock, and start with a tap of an iPhone or Apple Watch device.
Gogoro expects the new model to roll out to consumers in late Q2 2024, though pricing details aren’t yet available. Thanks to Gogoro’s battery-swapping model though, the company is able to charge less for the scooter as customers don’t actually buy the batteries, instead paying a lower monthly fee for battery swapping as a service. In Gogoro’s domestic market of Taiwan, the company has thousands of swap stations dotting the country and sees hundreds of thousands of battery swaps daily.
Electrek’s Take
This is seriously exciting, and not just because I’m already a daily Gogoro rider.
The increase in power has me jonesing for a test ride, and I thought my Gogoro S2 performance was already quite powerful! Plus that 10.25″ screen for built-in navigation is awesome. I know it does a thousand and one other things, but just not needing my phone on the handlebars for GPS navigation is awesome.
I’ll be curious to see pricing and speed figures, but this is shaping up to be a serious urban assault vehicle that will likely be able to handle highway jaunts as well. I mean, my Gogoro S2 Performance does just under 60 mph and I already take it on urban highways, so this even higher-performance scooter should be ready for just about anything.
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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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