On May 24, 2023, Gogoro announced plans to expand its electric scooter and swappable battery network reach in South Korea later this year. The Taiwanese OEM is partnering with Bikebank, a company dedicated to improving the country’s environment for two-wheeled vehicles.
Together, Gogoro and Bikebank are creating a new brand called Dotstation, which will make Gogoro Smartscooters available to everyday Korean customers sometime in Q3 of 2023. Already, delivery services have been using Gogoro battery swapping and Smartscooters in the country since 2019—and now, more riders will have the chance to experience both the scooters and their swappable battery network for themselves.
Where will Dotstation operate in South Korea? The rollout is planned across a total of eight cities to start: Seoul, Daegu, Sejong, Changwon, Incheon, Gyeongsan, Gyeonggi, and Ulsan. Two Dotstation retail stores have already been opened by Bikebank, offering support both at a consumer level and for delivery riders. Furthermore, the battery swapping network has expanded to cover over 70 battery swapping stations ranging across those eight cities.
Gallery: Gogoro and Bikebank to open Dotstation in South Korea
At the time of writing in late May 2023, Korean food delivery companies Logiall and Manna Plus already use both Gogoro Smartscooters and the battery swapping network to power their delivery services.
“Together with Gogoro, we are accelerating the transformation of urban mobility in Korea. We created Dotstation to lead us forward into a new era of sustainable urban transportation that provides a path for Korean consumers to embrace sustainability in a new and practical way. Dotstation is expanding Gogoro battery swapping services to eight Korean cities, and we anticipate launching more battery swapping locations this year with a range of vehicles including Gogoro Smartscooters for consumers,” Bikebank CEO Minkyu Kim said in a statement.
“It is great to be growing our partnership with Bikebank, a company that shares similar values and is committed to accelerating the shift to electric transportation in Korea. Seoul has one of the largest food delivery ecosystems in the world and was one of the first markets to embrace Gogoro battery swapping for food deliveries. Together, we are introducing Gogoro Smartscooters and battery swapping to Korean consumers while we continue to grow our B2B food delivery business where we work with market leaders to enable sustainable food delivery,” added Gogoro founder and CEO Horace Luke.
