Taiwan has come up with a new take on electric scooters with swappable batteries. Instead of buying a second battery, owners just turn up at a charging point, drop off the drained power unit and plug in a fresh one. The Smartscooter, made by Gogoro and available for pre-order from 27 June, will cost the equivalent of £2600.
Riders will be able to change batteries free for two years at a number of Gogoro charging stations around the city. The only potential downside is that owners are tied to the manufacturer’s network and pricing plans. Gogoro has not yet said how much it plans to charge once the special offer period is up. The deal also includes one year’s theft insurance and two years of free maintenance.
Scooter is the primary mode of transport on the densely populated island – there are about 15 million for 23 million citizens so it is not surprising that the company, founded by two former executives from mobile phone company HTC with $150m of backing from Taiwanese investors, has decided to roll out its operation there.
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