The associated noise and emissions have become a constant plague, but one that could be solved overnight by swapping to electric two-wheelers.Ĭompanies like Gogoro are working hard on targeting this vast market. Many families across Asia commute purely by two-wheeled vehicles instead of cars, leading to seas of scooters and motorcycles filling city streets. For anyone without a garage, finding a streetside wall outlet can be an issue. Removable batteries allow riders to carry the battery indoors for charging at home overnight, unlike electric cars that require access to an electric vehicle charging station or wall outlet. They are much more affordable than cars (these electric scooters in Bangkok cost around 84,000 Thai Baht or USD $2,500), and they don’t rely on a distributed charging network. Most of the West remains fascinated with the prospect of electric cars, but electric motorcycles and scooters have much bigger impacts in Asia where two-wheelers are often the dominant form of transportation. When the battery runs low, the operators will stop by one of the three battery swap stations to replace the depleted battery with a freshly charged one. They are able to achieve a range per charge of approximately 100 km (60 miles). The scooters include 3 kW (4 hp) motors and have a top speed of around 80 km/h (50 mph). The electric scooters will be deployed in the Bang Kruai district of Bangkok, where three battery swap stations are set up to facilitate their continuous use. That’s why the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is running a new trial with 51 electric scooters for use by motorcycle taxi operators. Then there are the emissions to consider. Simply hop on the back and be whisked away to your destination, traffic be damned.īut between the motorcycle taxis and private motorcycles and scooters in Bangkok and other Asian cities, the noise can often be unbearable.

While a single person needing to catch a ride in Los Angeles is likely to call an Uber, in Bangkok it is much faster and easier to hail a motorcycle taxi.

If you’ve ever visited Thailand, you’ll surely have seen two of their most popular forms of public transportation that we don’t offer here in the West: rickshaws (tuk-tuks) and motorcycle taxis. The trial run could have big implications not just for Bangkok, but for scooter and motorcycle-laden cities across much of Asia. The Thai government is starting a new trial in Bangkok that will see electric scooters replace their gas counterparts for motorcycle taxis in the city.

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