Gogoro's shared-battery scooters arrive in Colombia

Gogoro, the Taiwanese electric scooter company known for its innovative battery-swapping system, has officially announced the expansion of its operations to the Colombian market. In partnership with the Colombian fuel company Terpel, Gogoro has just begun operations in Bogotá under the Voltex brand. This news follows the interest the company showed last February in bringing its electric scooters to the Colombian and Chilean markets.

Gogoro has become popular for its shared battery-swapping system, which is used by dozens of the company’s electric scooter models. These batteries are charged and stored at public swapping stations, allowing users to replace them in a matter of seconds. In addition to Gogoro’s scooters, other companies such as Yamaha and Aeon also manufacture electric vehicles that use Gogoro batteries. The company has even shown heavier three-wheeled vehicles and minicar prototypes that use these batteries as their power source.

For the rollout in Colombia, Gogoro will initially use the 2 Plus and Vivamix models from its scooter lineup. According to Horace Luke, the head and founder of the Taiwanese firm, Gogoro and Terpel share a common vision to accelerate the transition to sustainable two-wheeled transport in Colombia and Latin America. In his view, Gogoro’s Swap & Go system addresses many of the challenges posed by traditional plug-in charging. As proof that the system works, the company has completed 590 million battery swaps to date, with more than 400 thousand swaps per day. Luke concluded that Gogoro’s battery-swapping system has proven to be safe, reliable and the ideal option for urban two-wheeled transport in cities such as Bogotá.

Likewise, Oscar Bravo, Terpel’s current president, has stated that, in line with the commitment of the company he leads to his country, they will continue offering new solutions that contribute to achieving decarbonization goals and promote electromobility. Gogoro’s battery swapping strengthens and complements the company’s current service catalog by offering users the convenience of swapping batteries in seconds. Bravo concluded his remarks by expressing the hope that, by facilitating this experience, more people and industries will join this new mobility model.

Where can Gogoro batteries be found?

The first four Gogoro battery-swapping stations are already located at Terpel service stations in Bogotá. The partnership is expected to expand to 14 locations in total by the end of 2024

, with additional plans to extend to other cities such as Medellín.

Gogoro’s electric scooters will be sold in the country by Motored, a leading two-wheeler distributor in Colombia with ten years of experience in the national motorcycle market. This partnership promises to offer Colombians a sustainable and efficient transport alternative, aligned with the country’s environmental goals.

With this expansion, Gogoro is not only entering a new market but also contributing significantly to sustainable mobility in Latin America, offering innovative and practical solutions to the challenges of modern urban transport.