News

$300 Million Series C Funding for Swappable Batteries and Energy Infrastructure

September 20, 2017 by Paul Shepard

Gogoro® today announced the completion of a $300 million Series C investment round that includes new investments from Temasek, an investment company headquartered in Singapore, Generation Investment Management, Sumitomo Corporation and ENGIE. The new investors join Gogoro’s existing investors Dr. Samuel Yin, founder of the Tang Prize and chairman of Ruentex Group, Panasonic and others.

“One of the greatest challenges of our time is transitioning our cities to a smarter and more sustainable energy and transportation infrastructure. Gogoro provides a new approach for cities to embrace sustainable energy through a smart connected infrastructure and battery swapping system that has demonstrated success across Taiwan and Berlin,” said Horace Luke, co-founder and CEO of Gogoro. “New investments from leaders like Temasek and Generation combined with investments from visionary corporations like ENGIE and Sumitomo Corporation are a strong validation of Gogoro’s business and market success.”

The new investments from Temasek, Generation Investment Management, Sumitomo Corporation and ENGIE, demonstrate strong support for next generation sustainable energy infrastructure and swappable batteries that can be regularly used by consumers in vehicles and other products.

“Cities worldwide are demanding new and sustainable approaches to personal transportation. Under the leadership of its seasoned management team, Gogoro is proving that its scooters and energy platform are an attractive solution for cities, consumers, and businesses,” said Colin le Duc, founding partner and co-head of the Growth Equity strategy for Generation Investment Management. “Gogoro is poised for strong growth. We believe its exciting brand and visionary business model will play a critical role in driving the electrification of mobility across South East Asia”.

“Mobility is a key issue for our major cities, which by 2050 will be home to 67% of the world’s population: At ENGIE, we are contributing to the creation of a new form of mobility that is more fluid, cleaner and more economical in cities and regions throughout the world. This investment in Gogoro illustrates our conviction that mobility is changing and that Gogoro’s solutions are promising,” said Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE, the global energy player and expert operator in the three businesses of electricity, natural gas and energy services.

The new investment comes as the company experiences strong consumer momentum for its innovative battery swapping network and Smartscooters in Taiwan and continued expansion and growth of the Coup’s e-scooter sharing service in Europe that currently has 1,600 Smartscooters across Berlin and Paris.

The Gogoro Smartscooter™ EV was the world’s first high-performance, smart electric two-wheel vehicle that utilizes the Gogoro Energy Network, an advanced battery-swapping infrastructure for consumers. Gogoro launched Smartscooter™ EV and Gogoro Energy Network in 2015 in Taipei and rolled it out across Taiwan with strong momentum and success.

Key Gogoro Facts

  • More than 34,000 Gogoro Smartscooter™ EVs sold
  • Nearly 100 million kilometers ridden by customers
  • 400+ GoStation® battery swapping stations deployed
  • 17,000 batteries swapped per day (6 million total batteries swapped)
  • 4,135,000 liters of gasoline saved plus 8 million kilograms less CO2 emitted

“It is great to see new investors from around the world embracing Gogoro’s vision and leading a movement towards changing how the world’s cities transform into the future,” said Dr. Yin. “From the beginning Gogoro had a solid vision for how it would blend innovation, urban transportation and sustainable energy to transform cities and it is no longer just a vision but a reality here in Taiwan, Berlin and now Paris.”

Dr. Yin is a Gogoro Board Member and its founding investor. He is one of very few Asians to commit to the Warren Buffett and Bill Gates Giving Pledge and is the founder of the Tang Prize, a set of international awards for individual achievements in Biopharmaceutical Science, Rule of Law, Sinology and Sustainable Development.  As one of Asia's most successful entrepreneurs, Dr. Yin’s diverse business ventures include retail, sustainable technology, healthcare, financial services, property development and textiles.

1 Comment
  • Ron Davison December 20, 2020

    This will allow scaling e-mobility past early adopters, because range fears will be nullified with battery swap vending machines.
    Auwsomeness

    Like. Reply