With the rising demand for EVs (electric vehicles) in the Philippines, now is the best time for Gogoro to finally introduce their smart e-scooters in the country.

Smart and Sexy

Gogoro Taiwan has officially introduced four of their e-scooters to the Philippine market.

The SuperSport is their top-class model with speeds reaching as fast as 96km/h. A representative even told me that it can exceed as much as 100-120km/h if the user permits to reach its exceeding potential.

This e-scooter has three different shades: Arctic Gray, Aura Blue, and Polar Green.

The Gogoro S1 looks pretty much like the SuperSport but with a chassis crafted from racing-grade aluminum.

Gogoro Delight

Designed by four women from the Gogoro Taiwan team, Delight is meant for any woman (or basically anyone regardless of gender) who wants a lighter and more comfortable e-scooter without actually sacrificing its max speed potential.

This model comes in three colors: Beryl Green, Gem Blue, and Pearl Gold.

No driver’s license? No problem! The Gogoro Viva is the best bet for you. Despite its quirky and chic-looking design, this e-scooter doesn’t compromise its potential and reaches speeds of up to 50km/h.

This fun-looking scooter is available in louder-looking Pomegranate Red and Wasabi Yellow, plus pastel-coded hues in Mint Blue and Seasalt White.

What makes all of these scooters smart is the ability to wireless connect them through Gogoro’s app.

No live demonstration was presented to us but several smart connectivity features should be expected such as displaying one’s exact parking location, identifying potential issues in the scooter, keyless unlocking via the app, and even additional security using Touch or Face ID in iPhones.

The Gogoro Super App also enables any user to customize some of the scooter’s function as well as updating several features over the air if possible.

Safe and (No) Sound

Gogoro e-scooters have fail-safe features that prevent the user from being prone to accidents and other mishaps.

Aside from a keyless entry via the app, it can also be unlocked by using the dedicated smart keycard with iQ System. While it may display the massive oval LED display, it doesn’t mean the e-scooter is ready to go.

Another step should be made in order to fully start-up the e-scooter. By pressing the “Go” button, it would then activate its motors and brakes so any user/rider is set and settled before they actually go with their EV companion. This is also to avoid having stolen bikes by unwanted thieves.

Just in case the e-scooter falls by itself (or even while you are riding), it automatically stops all of the EV’s functions to avoid unwanted speeding and acceleration.

Also, this is already given for any EV but, you won’t hear any sound from these e-scooters simply because they are full-on electric.

Swappable and Sustainable

Usual e-scooters are all being charged via plug outlets in EV stations, homes, and apartments. But with the growing population who rely on renting along crammed urban “spaces”, it’s more convenient, reliable, sustainable, and safer to just hot-swap the batteries through their dedicated “Gogoro Network” swapping stations.

Through the use of the Gogoro app, it can tell you whether one of the batteries (or both) needed to be replaced.

Swapping out can be done by anyone (again, regardless of gender) in less than a minute. Though it is said that each battery pod weighs 20 kilograms, with the right handling, you can easily swap one in no time.

As of this writing, there are five existing stations wherein prospective users can easily hot-swap their batteries whenever they needed to be replaced. There’s vague information stated by a representative but as far as I remember, there’s one in Dela Rosa Carpark in Makati, another in BGC, plus Phoenix Gas Station in Parañaque.

With less reliance to power electricity, this also means it’s more sustainable in the long run as it doesn’t harness much of the energy that produce greenhouse gases — which in return harms our only livable planet.

No further information on how it can be bought and accessed but a store rep answered me that it will be subscription-based and can be paid through Gcash, the country’s leading cashless payment system.

Test To Witness

After the official launch announcement, Gogoro Philippines has also prepared a mini testing track at the very heart of Greenbelt 5 for peeps to actually try out the newly-launched two-wheeled EVs.

As I already spoiled it at the very beginning, Gogoro’s first three e-scooters require you a driver license before you can ride and use one. Unfortunately, your in-house writer never applied for one. Thus, the clout-chasing photo above with Gogoro’s top-class e-scooter among the bunch.

Nevertheless, it never stopped people with no license to try one. Individuals who are well-versed in riding motorcycles wouldn’t have a hard time adjusting and actually moving into using one of these e-scooters.

Others with less knowledge but have overflowing braveness literally did their “ride or die” journey. Personally, I just chose to watch fellow media friends ride and enjoy these new two-wheeled EVs.

Exhilirating Experience

The Gogoro Experience Center (GEC) is now open for everyone to visit. It can be found at the 2nd floor of Greenbelt 3 (across H&M) where the Greenbelt branch of Globe used to be located. The first experience store of the scooter company was built with Greenbelt in mind as one of the greenest spots across Makati.

Aside from witnessing all the present e-scooters in their full glory, you can also experience the utmost mobility and comfort of these scooters. Moreover, practicing how to operate the scooters and actually swapping out the batteries before you do it in the real world.

You can even talk to Gogoro representatives and experts your inquiries and curiosities about their products and the how the whole Gogoro ecosystem works.

Greater EV future

This promised partnership came through Globe and Gogoro’s long time of hardships and utmost patience. It actually took seven years for the two companies to bring next-level EV mobility in the Philippines.

Both Globe Group’s President and CEO Ernest Cu and Gogoro’s Founder, Taiwan CEO and Chairman of the Board Horace Luke shared how they connected with each other in sharing the same vision to the country — bringing the carbon footprint lower by promoting electric vehicles as the next main mode of transportation in the Filipino scene.

And with Ayala’s Jaime Alfonso stepping into the scene and having the same sentiments as Luke achieving a “net zero by 2050”, the conglomerate is committed to continuously promote green and sustainability.

No wonder why most Gogoro Network stations stated earlier are either located near an Ayala Mall or a related business/establishment. Expect these will expand further as we head towards an EV future.

Pricing and Availability

Gogoro Philippines hasn’t announced official pricing for these e-scooters but they are promising it will be announced by December 2023. More models will soon be revealed by 2024.

Custom accessories and parts will also be available in order for future users to make better styles for their bikes as well as their overall rider look.