Taiwan-based electric scooter company Gogoro, which has raised $130 million in its second phase of funding, could give serious competition to gas-based scooters following the smart scooter's launch in Amsterdam in 2016.
At an international motorcycle and scooter show in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday the company, formed by former HTC employees, announced that the smart scooter would be launched in Europe soon.
The scooter, which is Bluetooth and NFC-enabled, and can be connected to smartphones, helps customise energy efficiency as well as records trips on the cloud server of the company which can be accessible 24/7, will be launched in Europe soon.
In a press release, the company said it had raised $130 million from Panasonic Corporation, the National Development Fund of Taiwan and others, making it a total roundup of $180 million so far.
Unlike other electric scooters that can be charged through plugging into sockets anywhere, Gogoro can only be charged at GoStations, which too will be set up in Amsterdam.The batteries can be swapped at various service centres and kiosks situated in a city, which can be found by linking to the Gogoro Network, says the company website.
In Taipei, where the product was first launched, an Experience Centre was first built to familiarise consumers with the product. Gogoro CEO Horace Luke intends to do the same in Amsterdam.
Hoping for a warm welcome in Europe, since the continent has pledged itself to becoming leaders of climate preservation by using clean energy, the CEO said, "Pricing and other details haven't been announced, but the actual scooter will be largely the same because it has already been designed to meet European regulations."
In June, the company had announced the cost of the smart scooter at $4,100.
Quoting the success of the product in Taiwan, where it has grown to hold 5% of the market share in just four years, Luke said: "In 2011, we set out to establish a company that could be a key driver in igniting the smart city transformation of mega cities by changing how energy is managed and distributed."
The Verge has reported Luke as saying that the company's machines have now driven one million kilometres in and around Taipei.
Electricity-powered vehicles have also found favour with investors in India. Ampere Vehicles Pvt Ltd, a Coimbatore-based maker of electric bikes, recently aised an undisclosed amount from Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ltd. Bengaluru-based Ather Energy Pvt Ltd, is accumulating $12 million in a funding round led by Tiger Global this year.
