Electric vehicles are upon us, like it or not, and Yamaha is taking steps forward with the Yamaha EC-05 electric scooter (e-scooter), using technology from Gogoro, a Taiwanese e-scooter maker. Claiming improved range and performance from Gogoro’s large format 2170 lithium-ion battery cells, Yamaha will be releasing the EC-05 for the Taiwan market in August, 2019.
Gogoro began in Taiwan with swappable battery packs for e-scooters, allowing for riders to quickly replenish depleted batteries and extend riding range. Gogoro has also pioneered e-scooter battery swapping in European cities such as Berlin and Paris, in partnership with Bosch.
In partnership with Yamaha, Gogoro will be providing swappable battery packs for the EC-05, allowing Yamaha to take advantage of Gogoro’s extensive network of charging and battery swapping stations. Notably, Gogoro’s 7% market share of the Taiwan e-scooter market is in the commercial delivery sector, with rivals Kymco and Sym covering the lion’s share of the domestic scooter segment.
While no real performance numbers for the EC-05 have been released, the Gogoro 3 e-scooter is claimed to reach a top speed of 82 km/h for the base model, while the Gogoro 3 Plus reaches 86 km/h. Power comes from a six kilowatt mid-drive motor that produces 180 Nm of torque at the rear wheel – to put things in perspective, the 2019 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy with the Milwaukee 8 107 engine puts out 145 Nm.
In terms of market development, Malaysia’s ASEAN neighbours, notably Thailand and Indonesia, have taken progressive measures to encourage the take up of e-scooters in the respective countries especially in dense urban areas. This includes a pilot project by Honda for the Honda PCX Electric in the Philippines and Indonesia, with lease sales already begun in Japan.
GALLERY: 2019 Yamaha EC-05 Taiwan
GALLERY: Gogoro 2 e-scooter
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I encourage the G to take up this e-scooter project first rather than 3rd national car or flying car.
Malays are very practical when it comes to daily transportation to and fro to work in M’sia. Even some (Malay) managers take a motorcycle to work simply for convenience and a stress free travel. But Taiwanese take it further by embracing scooter culture and now electric scooters – impressive.