Electric scooters have been around for a long time now. But they have not really taken off as a popular mode of transportation due to the short distances they can cover as well as the lengthy recharging times after use. But still, electric scooters have a great potential as a green urban transport ideal for short distance travel. It just requires some bit of tweaking here and there. The right kind of tweak may have been realized by the introduction of the Gogoro Smartscooter at the recently concluded CES 2015.
The Gogoro Smartscooter is a uniquely designed electric scooter that is eyed as a portable urban transport. People can use it to go around city streets and urban areas to work or even for leisure. This is the ideal setting for such mode of transport since people do not usually go around long distances traveling from one area of the city to another. But then again there is the issue of recharging the Gogoro Smartscooter when it runs out of juice.
The developers of this unique electric two-wheeled urban transport tries to resolve the recharging issue by creating a modular battery system where users can swap spend batteries for fully recharged ones at selected outlets that developers plan to call as GoStations. They will act as the Gogoro Smartscooter fuel stations placed on strategic locations all over the city. This eliminates the need to wait until the Smartscooter is fully recharged before using again.
Design-wise, the Gogoro Smartscooter takes on a classic look and yet provides some hint of modernity as well. Its frame is crafted out of racing grade aluminum, making it lightweight. It uses an 8.58 hp electric motor that can achieve a top speed of 95 km/h or 60 mph. Each battery pack can provide the Gogoro Smartscooter with up to 100km or 60 miles of travel distance at an average speed of 40km/h or 25mph.
The Gogoro Smartscooter also comes with different sensors that allow users to access data associated with it. Users can then access this info from an app downloaded to a paired iOS or Android device. It will enable users to get notifications if the scooter is running out of juice as well as information about the nearest GoStation location to enable a battery swap. With the planned system and the use of green alternative energy, the Gogoro Smartscooter may just be the system breakthrough that would allow urban centers all over the world to embrace this mode of transport. Initial rollout of the Gogoro Smartscooter is being planned this year. Pricing details have yet to be announced.
Image Source: Gogoro
