Taiwanese startup Gogoro has raised over $150 Million over the past few years developing the world’s first Smart Scooter. Fueled by the same lithium ion cells used in the Tesla Model S, the scooter is the brainchild of some former HTC big wigs.
As might be expected given the founders’ experience in smartphone development, this bike has plenty to offer in the way of smart technology.
Users unlock their bike and exchange used batteries at kiosks through Bluetooth on their smartphones. Sensors on the bike also react to a user’s driving patterns to adjust its power management as well as to provide tips to if their driving style tends to waste energy. For example, if someone tends to open the throttle too much going up a hill, the bike will provide feedback letting Mr. Speed know to cool out on the revs to conserve energy.
In a country with so many motorbikes, we wonder how effective this electric bike would be in alleviating pollution in Vietnam. Quintessentially a city bike, it has a range of 160 km and can reach speeds of nearly 100km per hour, more than enough for the dense makeups of the country’s concrete jungles.
Neither a price nor a release date has been announced, so it may be a while before we know if (or when) the scooter will be available in Vietnam.
