Taiwan soon to have more Gogoro electric scooter battery swap stations than gas stations

Electric scooter manufacturer Gogoro is famous for its battery-swapping network of GoStations that extensively covers its native Taiwan. The system has become so popular that it will soon eclipse the number of gas stations on the island nation.

Gogoro’s battery swap stations look something like a bright green and white vending machine.

Users of Gogoro’s batteries (which include scooters of many different brands thanks to its partnerships), simply roll up to a station and swap out their depleted battery for a freshly charged unit. A subscription service makes it a quick and easy process that takes just a few seconds.

At the end of 2021, Gogoro counted a total of 2,215 GoStations nationwide, according to the Taipei Times. The number of gas stations stood barely higher at 2,487.

At Gogoro’s current rate of expansion, 2022 very well may be the year that the number of GoStations surpasses the number of gas stations.

While that may be just an interesting factoid for Taiwan, it paints an important picture of what’s to come for much of Asia and the rest of the world.

Gogoro has aggressively expanded into major two-wheeler countries in the past year, where motorcycles and scooters make up a majority of the vehicles on the road in many cities.

Replacing those loud, polluting gas-powered vehicles with silent and emission-free electric scooters and motorcycles will make a large impact on these cities, measurable in both the decibel and air particulate levels.

This past April, Gogoro announced that it was entering the Indian market and partnering with Hero Motorcorp, the world’s largest motorcycle builder.

Gogoro followed up shortly afterwards with another announcement that it would enter the Chinese market thanks to a new three-way partnership with two-wheeler leaders Yadea and DCJ.

Barely another month went by before Gogoro announced yet another partnership, this time with massive manufacturer Foxconn to produce its electric scooters and swappable batteries.

The rapid expansion continued as Gogoro then announced a partnership with Gojek in November that would see expansion into the large Indonesian market.

Even as Gogoro expands across the Asian continent, its position in the local Taiwanese market grows stronger.

According to a Gogoro representative, 28% of all two-wheeled vehicles sold in Taipei last month were Gogoro-powered, with December marking Gogoro’s largest sales month ever.

The news comes as Gogoro prepares to go public on the Nasdaq via a SPAC deal that will see it listed under the ticker GGR.

When announced last year, the deal was expected to be finalized sometime this quarter.

Electrek’s Take

Gogoro is just one company among dozens that are spreading electric scooters and motorcycles around the world.

But Gogoro’s innovative approach to its GoStations and the company’s rapid expansion has put it in a league of its own.

Seriously, just look at a graph of its domestic e-scooter sales compared to competitors.

Now with so many companies jumping aboard the Gogoro train and putting the iconic green and black batteries in their own scooters, Gogoro is becoming something of a de facto standard in swappable batteries for light electric vehicles. Gogoro isn’t the only swappable battery game in town, but it is by far the largest. And perhaps a de facto standard is exactly what is needed to further accelerate the adoption of swappable battery technology for light EVs.

I just hope we get to see some light electric cars with a half dozen Gogoro batteries in back. Now that would make my day!

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