Designed for the recently unveiled fourth modelGogoro VIVAGogoro Design Director Wang Songfu, also known as "Shui Ge," further shared the design rationale and emphasized the highly simplified design philosophy employed in this vehicle. After a brief urban test drive, I have some thoughts on this new Gogoro vehicle, wondering if the Gogoro VIVA's design will be the key to Gogoro's next leap forward.
High subtraction actually brings more possibilities
The Gogoro 1's design is essentially a triangle, with the rider positioned at the top corner and the front and rear wheels representing the center of gravity. The Gogoro 1's design removes the three corners, creating a hexagonal shape that reflects the Gogoro 2's longer length and comfortable seating for two people.
In the case of Gogoro 3, the hexagon was further elongated, slightly deformed, and lightweighted through subtraction. A large amount of PP plastic was also used, making this model more affordable than the Gogoro 2.
The Gogoro VIVA, in addition to deliberately avoiding the unlucky number "4" and adopting the Italian word "VIVA" (cheers), has been designed to be more suitable for general use. In addition to a highly simplified body design, Gogoro also provides hundreds of accessories for users to choose from, creating over 150 million accessory combinations, allowing each user to present a different style while maintaining a certain degree of recognition.
As for the design of the Gogoro VIVA, which has sparked considerable discussion, Wang Songfu stated that many of the scenarios were actually anticipated. However, once a design leaves a deep impression on people, they quickly connect it to the Gogoro VIVA. This is why Gogoro later proposed combining traffic cones with the Gogoro VIVA's imagery, hoping that the car would leave a lasting impression in more people's minds.
The displacement is 50cc, but the power may be more than that.
In actual riding, I discovered that the Gogoro VIVA is indeed slightly smaller than previous Gogoro models. Even pedestrians on the road could tell during my test ride that the Gogoro VIVA is relatively small. For me, who's about 173 cm tall, riding it felt like riding a 50cc Dio. Even someone 180 cm tall and slightly built could feel more like an adult riding a small bike.
However, the hub motor used by Gogoro VIVA can still output approximately 4.02 horsepower. When riding alone, the speed will be significantly limited at around 55 kilometers per hour. On the one hand, this is to prevent the motor from overheating, and on the other hand, it also responds to the Gogoro VIVA's positioning as mainly for urban commuting. In addition, the body rigidity and suspension system design are relatively ordinary, making it unsuitable for high-speed and intense driving.
However, in actual testing, with the author and a fellow passenger sharing a load of approximately 150 kg, the vehicle was still able to accelerate to around 52 km/h while moving without chequered flag acceleration mode enabled. This not only shows that the Gogoro VIVA can handle obvious load-bearing needs, such as double-loaded and heavy-loaded, but also that the actual motor output power is sufficient for various riding situations. Some restrictions are only added for safety.
Furthermore, thanks to its high torque output, the Gogoro VIVA can quickly change lanes and even accelerate out of traffic even in congested traffic. Unlike typical 50cc fuel vehicles, which may experience weak starts and slow lane changes, the Gogoro VIVA has enough power to move quickly on city roads compared to ordinary electric scooters.
As for the design that can operate with only a single battery, it is also sufficient for short-distance commuting between cities. On the morning of the test ride, I rode from Ximending in Taipei City to Xiangti Plaza in Xinyi District and back, and the actual power loss was about one bar. After riding intermittently between various stops in Taipei City, there was still about two bars of power left when I returned the bike in the afternoon. Therefore, it is quite sufficient for general riding use, especially in Taipei City, where there is already a very high density of GoStation battery swap stations. Basically, there is no need to worry about power shortages. However, it also shows that the Gogoro VIVA is not currently suitable for cross-county riding unless the density of GoStation battery swap stations is higher in the future.
After Gogoro VIVA, what developments can Gogoro have next?
Gogoro VIVA has proven that a single battery can be used to smoothly shuttle between cities, so it is obvious that the Gogoro VIVA design can be applied toGoShare Rental ServiceGogoro later revealed that it is indeed ready to use the Gogoro VIVA model in the GoShare service.
Compared to the previously used Gogoro 2, the smaller Gogoro VIVA is more suitable for the GoShare service, making it easier for users to park in and out of crowded parking spaces. It also provides ample riding power for both single and double riders, and a maximum speed limit is designed to reduce accidents caused by users riding at high speeds.
In addition, since it uses the same PP material shell design as the Gogoro 3, overall maintenance is relatively easy. The fact that it can be driven by only a single battery allows the number of batteries in the GoStation battery swap station to meet the needs of more vehicle swaps.
Therefore, after the launch of Gogoro VIVA, coupled with the previously announced implementation of the third-generation GoStation battery swap station design, Gogoro is expected to be able to expand its GoShare rental service at a faster pace, and even replicate its GoShare service experience in overseas markets at a faster pace.
As for the design of a vehicle that can be powered by a single battery, it is expected that Gogoro will cooperate with more manufacturers in the future and make vehicle design more flexible. Perhaps starting next year, we will see more electric vehicles that use the Gogoro energy network system.
As for the many accessories released in conjunction with Gogoro VIVA, many designs can also be applied to existing vehicles. In fact, it is not difficult to predict that Gogoro will allow its models to have more room for accessory modification in the future, and may even use Gogoro VIVA as a model to encourage more third-party manufacturers to join the accessory design lineup, thereby creating new development and profit opportunities.
From the Gogoro 1, which overturned the general user's stereotype of electric vehicles, to the Gogoro 2, which expanded its market reach, and the Gogoro 3, which penetrated even more user groups, the newly launched Gogoro VIVA has significantly lowered the barrier to entry for purchase, even allowing users to customize it to their individual needs. It also meets the needs of most urban commuters and general riding. Gogoro has clearly strategically addressed every market need.
