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Business/Finance See other Business/Finance Articles Title: 10 advantages of the Gogoro Smartscooter Want... Since Taiwanese startup Gogoro unveiled its Smartscooter at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, the electric vehicle has been discussed by many local consumers and media outlets. Before Gogoro releases the electric scooter's price tag and monthly fees for swapping batteries Wednesday, here are 10 things you need to know about how the Smartscooter stands out from its competitors. 1. Quicker: The Smartscooter's digital throttle in sport mode takes riders from zero to 50 kilometers per hour in 4.2 seconds, compared with an average 5.3 seconds for gas-powered 125 cc motorcycles. 2. Faster: The Smartscooter has a max speed of 95 km/h, much faster than the maximum 50 km/h for China Motor's (CMC) e-moving series, which was the best-selling electric motor range in Taiwan last year. 3. Ultra lightweight: Gogoro's Aeroframe monocoque chassis is stamped out of racing grade aluminum that is 30% lighter and two times stronger than any scooter before. 4. Cleaner: The Gogoro Energy Network is a modular battery-swapping infrastructure that can be deployed across a city to provide broad consumer access to portable power through battery vending machines called GoStations. The Gogoro Battery is an engineering breakthrough with a variety of technologies, including 25 sensors, near-field communication (NFC) connectivity and 256-bit security encryption. It utilizes Panasonic's industry-leading cylindrical 18650-size automotive-grade lithium-ion energy cells to deliver the ultimate in safety, performance, efficiency and portability. 5. Easier: Riders do not need to wait to refuel or recharge the Smartscooter. When a depleted battery needs to be swapped with a charged one, riders can make a six-second swap at any GoStation. Batteries can be reserved in advance, and a subscription-based payment model offers unlimited access to as many charged batteries as needed. In comparison, Israel's Better Place LLC had developed a similar battery swapping model, but the company went bankrupt in 2013. Electric car maker Tesla Motors began testing a battery swapping system for its cars in California in December last year. 6. Smarter: The Smartscooter harnesses the power of 30 onboard sensors, cloud connectivity, and an integrated Gogoro mobile application that enables the scooter to get smarter and more efficient with every ride. The app utilizes the Gogoro iQ System to find the closest GoStation, deliver detailed scooter diagnostics, adaptive throttle control, customized regenerative braking, and the ability to track ride details like the top speed and range so the rider can analyze riding patterns to optimize power and energy consumption. 7. Patent application: Gogoro has applied for 18 patents in Taiwan that range from body structure to control system, connectivity with mobile devices, batter charging, battery swapping system and battery station security. 8. Starting from Taiwan: In March this year, Gogoro announced Taipei City and New Taipei City Taiwan as the pilot market for the Gogoro Smartscooter electric vehicle and Gogoro Energy Network, set to be available this summer. Gogoro also announced the opening of the Gogoro Experience Center, a flagship store in Taipei's prime Xinyi shopping district, designed to promote hands-on interaction with the Smartscooter. 9. Market potential: A total of only 5,011 electric motorbikes were sold in Taiwan last year, with China Motor's e-moving range dominating the market with 4,563 units. Kwang Yang Motor, Taiwan's largest motorcycle manufacturer, ranked second with 325 electric motorbikes sold in 2014, followed by Sanyang Motor's 111 units. 10. Possible price: Gogoro has not finalized the price of Smartscooter, but company CEO Horace Luke told Forbes magazine in April that the price "would be in the US$2,000 to US$3,000 range of Honda and Yamaha bikes ubiquitous in Asia." Founded in 2011 by technology veterans Luke and co-founder and CTO Matt Taylor, Gogoro received US$50 million in funding from Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin and HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang. In October 2014, Gogoro raised another US$100 million in Series B funding from a number of investors. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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