A man stands next to a Gogoro Inc. battery charging station outside one of the company's stores in Taipei.
Photographer: Billy H.C. Kwok/BloombergOne-Minute Battery Swaps Are Spurring EV Adoption in Asia
Companies like Gogoro are proving that two- and three-wheelers are well suited to battery swaps, which can alleviate range anxiety.
Hsiao Ding Hong fell in love with his electric moped right away. The battery-powered two-wheeler doesn’t make noise, vibrate or emit any exhaust. It has a sleek gray-blue exterior, can be controlled via smartphone app and even sings for Hsiao on his birthday. Best of all, it takes just one minute to get a full charge.
That’s because Gogoro Inc., the Taipei-based company that sold Hsiao his moped, lets him swap out its two batteries as often as he likes for up to 630 kilometers (392 miles) of driving each month, all for a subscription fee of 849 new Taiwan dollars ($27.80). Every weekday, as the 26-year-old university administrator rides to work in Taiwan’s Hualien city, Hsiao’s app identifies the nearest swapping station with charged batteries in stock. Once there, he pulls out his moped’s depleted batteries and inserts them into a vending-machine-like device, which then distributes fresh ones. Within 60 seconds, he’s on the road again with 40 miles of new range.