Gogoro is touted as a solution to the energy problems in big, conjested cities where many people use two-wheelers. This electronic smartscooter uses a battery that can be charged at charging stations around the city.

Gogoro is a Taiwanese company set up by ex-HTC executive Horace Luke. This is how Gogoro works: each electronic Gogoro smartscooter runs on a battery. When the battery is about to die down, the owner of the smartscooter takes it to the nearest Gogoro charging station, which he finds on a mobile app. There he or she can replace the discharged battery with a fully charged one within seconds. This means that the smartscooter owner does not own the battery but only hires it on lease from the charging station. It also means that he doesn't have to wait while the battery is charging.

This battery-charging infrastructure, called the Gogoro Energy Network, is meant for congested cities where people often use scooters. With the current technologies, electronic scooters have to be plugged in for hours for charging, or portable batteries are very large and heavy. In contrast, the Gogoro batteries are compact and highly portable.

It is also possible to reserve a battery at a Gogoro charging station via an app before arriving there so that it would not occur that one arrives at a station and finds that there are no fully charged batteries there.

Gogoro's batteries are made in collaboration with Panasonic. They are lithium-ion cells that include 25 sensors, NFC and 256-bit security. Each fully charged battery is capable of powering a smartscooter for about 60 miles.

The smartscooters themselves have cloud connectivity and come with customisable Android and iOS apps. The smartscooters have 30 sensors that will report problems with the machine, such as when a brake light isn't working. The sensors also record and analyse the driver's behaviour to optimise energy use.

Gogoro's smartscooter and GoStation is showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Gogoro has so far raised nearly $150 million for its smartscooter venture. The smartscooters will be available in the market in 2015.

There are about 200 million scooters in the world and Gogoro hopes that with its new energy infrastructure, it will not only manufacture vehicles, but would initiate a new energy ecosystem in big cities.

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