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After going back and forth on it for months, I finally bought myself a brand new Gogoro; the slick new electric smartscooter™ designed and built in Taiwan. No light or regular version for me, I went full strength, opting for an orange Gogoro Plus. Turbo, reverse, floor lighting and USB charging for my Bluetooth connected iPhone are all mine.
It’s obvious why anyone would want a Gogoro; they’re incredibly cool. If you haven’t already, swing by the flagship store near the Taipei 101 and check out their incredible display–you’ll instantly get why the vehicle is so much more than a "scooter." The ability to customize display colors and vehicle sounds from an app are impressive but not the real reasons–in the end–I bought one. There are a few bigger ideas that drove me to finally buy myself a Gogoro smartscooter.
1 - Putting my money where my mouth is.
Everyone knows at least one person who’s always complaining about cars, the burning of oil, and how the world would be a much cleaner place without them. Most of these people do very little aside from complaining via fact-filled Facebook posts, as they drive off to pick up some more organically grown tea. I’m guilty of being one of these people. While I might not complain verbally as much as I do in my own head, it’s an issue that’s been bugging me for nearly a decade. Particularly now that I live in Taipei–home to over 15 million registered gas-powered scooters. ( One of which has been my own Kymco vp125 )
There's nothing worse than breathing the poisonous fumes from an ocean of scooters, as you sit in traffic, waiting for the light to turn green. Or walking out on your balcony early Saturday morning–to take in the view–only to be greeted by the depressing sight of a city blanketed in toxic smog. In these situations, it sometimes feels the most you can do is silently hope that someday things will change.
I remember the first time I heard about Tesla's electric roadster and went online to check it out. I was amazed. I wanted one. But even more, I wanted to be a part of the electric revolution I could see starting to take shape. Unfortunately $100,000 US is not in my immediate, or extended financial reach—excluding me from the opportunity to participate in the clean energy revolution. Gogoro might not be the cheapest scooter option available on the market, but the price its well within my reach. And I feel like it's worth the investment to finally feel I’m contributing to a change I want to see in the world. I honestly feel that if I want to live in a high-quality world, then I need to invest in high-quality products that have real, positive impacts on myself and the people around me, and Gogoro is one of those products.
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2 - A Taiwan brand we should be proud of.
Gogoro has the opportunity to be Taiwan’s Tesla or Apple. It’s a truly innovative product, with no other scooter like it on the market right now. Sure there are electric scooters, but trust me, this one goes way beyond what others are doing. Gogoro could finally be the global brand that all Taiwanese, and those of us who call Taiwan home, can be proud of. It’s not a cheaper copy of some other product, or something that claims to be more than it really is.
It’s surprising–and a bit depressing–to hear so much negativity from Taiwanese about the product and how much it costs. ( Here's another great article discussing this. ) Gogoro is a brand with a realistic vision for the future, and it needs people like you and me to invest in that vision for it to happen. If it does, it could not only improve the lives of us here in Taiwan but the lives of everyone around the world. Gogoro could help build the type of companies young Taiwanese are eager to work for, while bringing about additional change in other industries. If you really want to support Taiwan, you should buy a Gogoro.
3 - It’s really fucking cool.
I don’t care what you have to say based on one photo you saw online. Anyone who actually goes in, takes a look, and learns about Gogoro walks away impressed.
Your new iPhone may have pressure sensitive swiping, which is neat, but I can change the colors of my dashboard, the sounds it makes while driving, the way the lights function, how the battery uses energy, and even how fast I want it to go–all with my phone. If I’m low on power I simply use the app to locate the nearest battery swapping station, ( they are everywhere ) and swap the batteries in 2 seconds. I don’t need a key to start it or turn it off, and it doesn't make a sound as I whizz around the city at 75 km/h. It goes 0-50 in 4.2 seconds making it faster than an Audi. (Ok, theroretically, but not actually) It won't even let me forget where I park it and automatically makes a map for me back to its location. Now that's innovation.
Anyone of these reasons is good enough to invest in a Gogoro, but the three together make it really hard to come up with excuses. I'm looking forward to my fantastic new Gogoro experience this year and hope more people find reasons to believe and invest in something that–as we like to say at DDG– is about to unveil a lot of greatness.
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