Electric scooter vendor Gogoro Inc (睿能創意) said it plans to install 100 charging stations at local stores, including coffee shops and bookstores, by the end of this year to help boost sales.
The Taoyuan-based company has sold more than 10,000 scooters in Taiwan since its launch in summer last year.
On Thursday, Gogoro said it picked Taichung to install the company’s first mini battery-charging station.
The company plans to complete installation of 21 charging stations by today at 21 shops in Taichung, including CMYK Gallery, Fukurou Living and Mojo Coffee, it said in a statement.
Taiwan FamilyMart Co’s (全家便利商店) convenience stores and Louisa Coffee chain stores will also join the company’s energy-sharing project, which encourages individuals and businesses to install charging devices, Gogoro said.
Gogoro riders can find recharged batteries at 225 swap stations in Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung and Changhua.
Meanwhile, the company is also pushing its first overseas expansion plan. The company early this month said it is teaming up with Bosch Co to offer electric scooter sharing services with Coup, as subsidiary of Bosch, in Berlin.
In the initial phase, the service will offer 200 scooters in the Berlin Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg neighborhoods, Gogoro said.
The service will be available for a flat rate of 3 euros (US$3.40) for 30 minutes, or 20 euros for a day, the company said.
“Launching the Gogoro smart scooter in Berlin as our first expansion market is special because it is a great two-wheel city and is also one of the most sophisticated, progressive and creative cities in the world,” Gogoro co-founder and chief executive officer Horace Luke (陸學森) said in the statement.
“The European market for electric motorcycles and scooters is still in its infancy, yet European consumers are clamoring for more sustainable and innovative two-wheel options like what Gogoro is offering with Coup in Berlin today,” Luke said.
He said the company has been approached by many scooter sharing service providers from around the world over the past year and it found that that Bosch and Coup had the potential to be a market maker for scooter sharing in Europe.
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