- Source: Gogoro Smartscooter
The Gogoro Smartscooter is a series of electric scooters developed by Gogoro and marketed starting in 2015, using an aluminum chassis and a liquid cooled permanent magnet synchronous traction motor. It uses a battery swapping scheme, branded Gogoro Network, to recharge its traction batteries; users pay a monthly subscription fee, the exact value of which depends on their expected usage, to gain access to the company's GoStation public battery dispensing machines. Although at-home charging is possible, starting with the 2 Series scooters released in 2017, owners still are required to pay a monthly subscription fee for Gogoro Network access.
The scooter design integrates sensors that collect information such as speed, energy consumption and levels, system failures, as well as scooter falls. The information is relayed to the Gogoro Energy Network and presented to riders via Gogoro mobile apps compatible with Android and IOS smartphones. The Gogoro mobile app also allows for customization of certain settings such as lighting and sound profiles.
Gogoro Scooter models
The Gogoro Smartscooter has been marketed with multiple models grouped into several different series. The 1 Series was a retronym applied after the 2 Series was introduced in 2017. The 3 Series was aimed at the mid-priced market upon its introduction in 2019, but it was replaced in that market segment by the more affordable Viva Mix, introduced in 2021; the Viva XL uses the 3 Series chassis rather than the Viva Mix. The Viva was Gogoro's lowest-priced Smartscooter when it was introduced in 2019, and Gogoro have since introduced an even more affordable model, the JEGO, in 2024. Between those dates, Gogoro have introduced the CrossOver series, which they bill as a "2-wheeled SUV", and the flagship Pulse, on model-specific chassis.
= Series
=1 Series
As initially described in early 2015, the 1 Series traction motor has a maximum power and torque output of 6.4 kW (8.6 hp) at 3250 RPM and 25 N⋅m (18 lbf⋅ft) between 0 and 2250 RPM, respectively. Nominal dimensions are 1,730 mm (68 in) long, 690 mm (27 in) wide, and 1,215 mm (47.8 in) high, riding on a wheelbase of 1,230 mm (48 in). The seat height is fixed at 745 mm (29.3 in) and the scooter weighs 94 kg (207 lb) without batteries and 112 kg (247 lb) with two traction batteries. There is lockable storage of up to 24.5 L (0.87 cu ft) under the seat, alongside the battery slots. While the original 1 Series was available in black or white with silver frame / trim, the 1 Plus added more color options with a darker gray frame color.
The S1 variant is equipped with an uprated motor which boosts output to 7.2 kW (9.7 hp) at 5000 RPM and 27 N⋅m (20 lbf⋅ft) between 0 and 2250 RPM, otherwise sharing the same nominal dimensions and weight. This improves the 0–50 km/h (0–31 mph) acceleration time from 4.2 sec to 3.7 sec. The front brake of the S1 is slightly larger than other 1 Series scooters.
The rear wheel is driven through a planetary reduction gear and Gates carbon belt.
2 Series
Like the preceding 1 Series, the base model of the 2 Series was distinguished from the 2 Plus mainly by the variety of colors available with the latter. 2 Series scooters were longer, wider, and lower than the 1 Series at 1,880 mm × 670 mm × 1,090 mm (74 in × 26 in × 43 in) for the length, width, and height, respectively; the wheelbase was extended to 1,306 mm (51.4 in) and seat height increased to 770 mm (30 in). Nominal weight was also increased to 122 and 104 kg (269 and 229 lb) with and without the two traction batteries, respectively. Underseat storage was increased to 25 L (0.88 cu ft).
The 2 and 2 Plus were equipped with a motor with similar outputs as the 1 Series, with a maximum power of 6.4 kW (8.6 hp) at 3000 RPM and maximum torque of 25 N⋅m (18 lbf⋅ft) between 0 and 2500 RPM.
= Traction battery and charging
=A Gogoro Smartscooter uses one or two removable battery packs (branded Smart Battery) to power its traction motor; the batteries may be removed and charged indoors (using the GoCharger), by plugging the scooter into an outlet (for 2 Series or newer, using the GoCharger Mobile), or depleted batteries may be exchanged for charged ones at battery swapping stations (branded GoStation) belonging to the Gogoro Network.
GoStation
The GoStation was an integral part of the Gogoro Smartscooter launch in 2015; to bring vehicle costs in line with gasoline-powered alternatives, the retail price of the Smartscooter did not include the batteries, which were provided under a monthly subscription plan allowing GoStation access. Each GoStation is a large box with a matrix of slots for individual batteries along with a touchscreen to provide information. After the subscriber removes one or two depleted batteries from the scooter and inserts them into empty slot(s) on the GoStation, an equal number of batteries with an equal or higher charge state will pop out from the GoStation after a few seconds; if the battery that was inserted has a higher charge than all the other batteries in the GoStation, it will be returned.
GoStation 2.0 was introduced in 2018 following the blackout of August 15, 2017; although indistinguishable externally from the original (GoStation 1.0), the 2.0 version is fitted with an internal battery which allows it to operate and dispense batteries without being connected to the grid for 48 hours. The third generation GoStation 3.0 was introduced in September 2019, increasing the number of slots in the same footprint; the internal battery is now able to permit battery swapping without grid power for 64 hours.
Gogoro entered a partnership with Enel X in 2022; under the pilot program, additional hardware was attached to ten GoStations in Taiwan, integrating them into Enel X's virtual power plant, which allowed the connected GoStations to reduce, pause, or reverse power draw in response to overall grid demand. The partnership with Enel X had expanded to cover 1,300 GoStations by April 2023, with plans to connect 2,500 GoStations in total by that June, collectively holding 150 MW-hr.
By October 2023, Gogoro had installed nearly 13,000 GoStations in nine countries; in Taiwan, the collective GoStation storage capacity was approximately 2,000 MW-hr.
GoCharger
The GoCharger is a dual-slot indoor charger which was introduced in January 2016 at CES as part of Gogoro's Owner Proposed Energy Network (OPEN) Initiative. These were offered to businesses without cost if those businesses would allow public access. There are two versions, an overnight charger and a "quick" charger, branded GoCharger or GoCharger Plus, with outputs of 226.35 or 452.7 W per battery, respectively.
GoCharger Mobile, introduced in 2018, allows in-scooter charging using a standard power outlet. A six-hour charge will take an empty battery to 82%. Because the purchase price of the scooter does not include the traction battery, GoCharger Mobile owners still need to subscribe to a battery plan. The GoCharger Mobile connects to a small port under the seat, first fitted to the 2 Series.
History
Design of the battery pack started in 2011; Horace Luke said "Rather than a bigger battery or a cheaper battery, we built a smarter, safer and more powerful battery to meet the energy demands of cities today and the smart cities of tomorrow." Each battery is connected wirelessly to the Gogoro Network. Each swappable traction battery pack weighs 9 kg (20 lb) and uses lithium ion chemistry. Nominal voltage is 48 V.: 33 Gogoro holds patents on the battery design, coaxial connector, and vehicle configuration.
The first generation battery pack, released in 2015 alongside the 1 Series, used 18650 cells supplied by Panasonic with a total storage capacity of 1374 W-hr. The third generation battery, announced in April 2019, uses 21700 cells and the capacity has increased by 27% to 1742 W-hr. In 2022, a prototype lithium ceramic solid-state battery pack was shown, developed in partnership with ProLogium. The estimated capacity of the solid state battery pack is 2500 W-hr.
The Industrial Development Bureau, a division of the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, proposed making the Gogoro battery specification into a nationwide standard in 2018 after Luke announced Gogoro would sell GoStations to other scooter manufacturers and waive licensing fees; however, Kymco flatly stated they refused to use the Gogoro system.
References
External links
Gogoro official website
"Meet Gogoro The Electric Scooter Coming To A Megacity Near You", forbes.com, 5 January 2015
Greg Kumparak, "After Raising $150 Million In Stealth Mode, What The Heck Is Gogoro?", techcrunch.com, 5 January 2015
Karissa Bell, "The scooter that could be the future of electric vehicles", mashable.com, 5 January 2015
Taylor Lorenz, "Mysterious Startup Gogoro Quietly Raises $150 Million For An Electric Scooter You'll Never Have To Plug In", businessinsider.com, 5 January 2015
Thomas Tamblyn, "This Is An Electric Scooter You’ll Never Need To Charge", Huffingtonpost UK, 5 January 2015
Katie Fehrenbacher, "Introducing Gogoro, a startup with a consumer energy product for megacities and $100M in funding", gigaom.com, 30 October 2014
Don Reisinger, "Gogoro preps for CES as it wraps up $100M funding round", cnet.com, 30 October 2014
