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Updated 06/11/18
In December of 2015, I became the first foreigner in Taiwan to buy a Gogoro Smartscooter—there are now many many more—and it's been an exciting experience.
Yes, I'm tooting my own horn a bit, but as I pointed out in my previous article, the real reasons I got behind Gogoro have far less to do with the actual product than with the by-product. I didn't buy a fancy scooter, I bought cleaner air and quieter streets. I invested in the energy revolution in the hopes that it inspires others to join. That being said, the product itself is what I experience daily. I've ridden my Gogoro thousands of kilometers at this point, which has allowed me to get to know the product. I have plenty of positive things to say, and a few suggestions as well.
Here’s what I love
about my Gogoro so far:
1 - The Sound it doesn't make
Gogoro is so quiet, it’s like zipping around on a magic cloud. It's comforting compared to my old scooter. What’s interesting is how much more aware of noise you become when you aren't the one making it. I've realized how loud and annoying other scooters are, and how much nicer of a city Taipei would be if even half of them were Gogoros. The Gogoro is not silent of course, it makes a slight whirring sound that I’ve become fond of. I feel like I’m riding a Star Wars Speeder Bike.
06/11/18 Note: The new Gogoro 2 has been made noticeably more audible than the Gogoro 1. I'm not a fan of this, but I understand why they did it. Many of the weird complaints I hear from people ( who don't own a Gororo ) are about how quite it is. It usually goes something like this: "What happens when a Gogoro goes by, I can't hear it and it crashes into me." I've always felt this argument is ridiculous. Bicycles are much quieter than a Gogoro, and yet people seem to avoid constant collisions. I also feel there are those who simply like to hear their vehicle. Perhaps it give's them a sense that its doing something. I get it, but I'd still prefer they got quieter, not louder. Noise pollution is a real problem in big cities like Taipei, and adding more noise is not the answer.
2 - The Speed
My Gogoro is fast. No, it’s not the fastest scooter in the city—those expensive, modded out gas scooters can still beat it. But that's not a fair comparison when you look at how much those guys spend on their machines to get them that fast—it's a LOT. Out-of-the-box the Gogoro is still faster than most scooters and incredibly zippy and fun to ride.
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3 - Battery Swapping
Almost everyone I know still asks me how long it takes to charge my Gogoro, which means they don’t understand that I don’t charge it at all. The battery swapping system is probably one of the most innovative and convenient–and least understood–aspects of owning a Gogoro. The stations are everywhere, and easy to find on the app. It only takes a few seconds to swap them, and it’s fun. When I have a friend with me, we play a little betting game where we try and guess which batteries will pop out of the GoStation. Each of us puts our hands on a different battery– whoever guesses correctly, pays the other $100nt.
A lot of people complain about the fact that you can’t charge Gogoro at home–which is something that might change soon–but the swapping system is so convenient and smart, I can’t understand why anyone would prefer home charging. Once people actually experience it, they get it.
Of course, the other thing I love about battery swapping is that I am swapping batteries instead of filling up with gasoline. That's something to feel great about every time.
Update 01/25/18 - I would love it if I had a charger at home actually. Where's those GoChargers they were marketing years ago?
Update 4/19/18 - There is now a mobile charger available called the GoCharger Mobile. It's a great solution for giving riders the ability to travel off network, however it's only compatible with the Gogoro2. I hope they come out with a mod for that soon as there are still some limitations on where I can ride in Taiwan—Fulong beach is a great example as there are still not battery stations there.
4 - The Smart Key
I love that I don’t need a traditional key anymore, and I can’t wait for the time when all old-fashioned keys are a thing of the past. I actually leave my “Key” in my pocket and start it without even taking it out. I also like that the “Key” opens the seat compartment as well.
The Gogoro app allows us to start–and open the trunk–with our phones as well, but to be honest, I feel the Smart Key is more convenient.
Update 01/25/18 - I still don't have the update on my scooter that allows me to use the app.
Update 04/19/18 - still no key function on my phone. ?
5 - The Temperature
It gets hot in Taipei in the summer. The fact that I don't have a hot engine boiling beneath me gives me chills of joy. This is something you can only appreciate after spending a summer in Taipei, on an old gas scooter, sweating your ass off while sitting at red lights. Those old scooters give off a tremendous amount of heat, and when it’s almost 40c degrees outside, you feel it. In fact, I’ve never heard mention of this "gem" of a benefit. Perhaps that's because most of us bought our Gogoro's in the winter and haven't had a chance to fully appreciate it yet.
Since there’s nothing burning inside, there’s nothing burning outside. I also never have to worry about my leg accidentally brushing up against a hot muffler. If you think this isn’t a problem, you haven’t seen all the young people with leg-burn scars in Taipei—check out these IG posts to see what I'm talking about.
some things I don’t
love about Gogoro:
1 - Paying by Kilometer
I updated this section on April 21, 2016
This is absolutely the worst–in my opinion– aspect of the Gogoro owners experience. I love the battery swapping idea, but it was only after I purchased my Gogoro that I realized my subscription simply gives me monthly “kilometers.". For example, on a basic plan, I would get 100 kilometers each month. It doesn’t matter if I swap batteries once, or five times during these 100 kilometers. This is nice if–for some reason–I always wanted fully charged batteries in my scooter, but it eliminates any incentive for me to save energy. Why would I used smart mode, or drive slower to save electricity under this model?
The other major problem I have with this system—one that is becoming painfully clear as summer approaches—is that I have to pay my monthly fee regardless of whether I drive my allotted KMs or not. If the weather is nice, and I choose to ride my bicycle for a month while leaving my scooter at home, I still pay $800nt. That's just ridiculous in my opinion, and further supports the idea of paying for swaps, not KMs.
This is–I suspect– also the reason Gogoro is reluctant to make their “GoCharger” available for home charging. Under this subscription model, home charging is entirely redundant.
There are a few other benefits to this model as was pointed out by my father who visited me recently and had the opportunity to experience Gogoro himself. With this model we, the users, aren't responsible for the maintenance of batteries. If a battery malfunctions, or damages our scooters, we are not responsible for it because we don't own the batteries. This is a pretty valuable benefit that may prove it's real worth over time.
I still wish Gogoro could involve some of us users in a workshop to help figure out a better system for this though, as it's having an unusually negative impact on my overall experience at the moment.
2 - Lack of power
Not speed power, or energy power, I'm talking about strength power. I’ve taken my Gogoro up Yangmingshan mountain many times so far with no problems whatsoever. However, those were times I was riding alone. The one time my friend saddled up with me for a trip up Yangmingshan, I seriously wondered if the Gogoro was going to make it. I was honestly a bit embarrassed as well—all my bragging about Gogoro was falling short of expectations. To be fair, these were moments on the steepest sections of the mountain. Most of the time the scooter did just fine.
I spend 95% of my time riding in the city, so in reality, this rarely presents a problem for me. I also believe that this will be improved with later versions and motor improvements.
3 - Seat shut-offs
Every time I open the seat–which is often–the scooter shuts off and I have to turn it back on. This isn’t a big deal, but it can be frustrating more often than you’d think. The funny thing is, that this feature can be quite convenient as well. Instead of using the key to turn off my Gogoro–after parking for instance–I simply open the seat from the dashboard to turn it off. There should simply be an option that allows me to toggle this mode in the app.
Update 01/25/18 - the app has been updated to allow you to toggle this feature as I suggested. Thanks Gogoro!
4 - The Sounds
Not the sounds that the Gogoro makes as it goes–which are perfect–but the sounds it makes as you turn it on and off. These customizable sounds are cool at first, and other people like them as well, however, they can get a bit annoying after a while. I just wish there was a “silent” option–like most cameras have these days–that could turn all these little noises off.
The solution for me at this point is to set my Gogoro sounds to the "Kito" setting. Kito sounds are soft and quite; for the most part, it's barely audible, which I like.
Another problem I have with sounds involves the slow driving sound that can be turned on and adjusted. The feature was a very smart thing to include, and I'm glad they did. At low speeds the Gogoro is very quiet, and the slow driving sound is meant to help warn others that you are coming. I live near a busy market and turned this on almost immediately. The problem is that it’s not loud enough for people to hear, making it virtually useless. This could easily be fixed by giving us a volume control for the sound.
Update 01/25/18 - The slow driving sound has been updated and made louder as I had suggested, it's much better now.
5 - Smart mode
Ok, so I actually really like Smart mode, I just think they named it incorrectly and are framing it the wrong way. Smart mode is an energy conserving mode that slows the scooter down substantially and is on by default each time you start Gogoro. When this mode is turned off, the Gogoro accelerates very quickly–sometimes too quickly–which is why I find myself toggling this mode on and off quite a bit when I ride my Gogoro–in busy traffic, around pedestrians, and in small alleys. In my own head I think of this button more as a low-speed mode than a smart mode, and since there isn’t really any incentive to save energy with a smart mode, I think they should simply rename it "low-speed” mode or something similar.
Overall, I’m very happy with my Gogoro purchase. I’ve been enjoying the ride and I still support and appreciate what Gogoro is trying to do. They seem to be doing good business these days–the shop is always full of freshly sold Gogoro's. I hope this trend continues, and old-fashioned oil burning scooters quickly go out of fashion.
The first version of anything is never perfect. The first iphone was a piece of crap compared to the second, and even Telsa has had their issues. ( who, btw is now planning to open up a showroom in Taipei, right next to the Gogoro showroom ) There are things Gogoro could be doing better, but I think they know that, and are listening to us. What they need now are more brave people to step up and support them, and provide them with the means to keep doing what they’re doing.
What do you think? Agree with me? Disagree with me?
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