Taiwan’s scooter dilemma 

Taiwan is known for its large number of scooters – almost 15 million – that are used by the locals to get around. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications, as of October 2021, for every 100 citizens there are 96.3 scooters. Most of Taiwan’s scooters are powered by gasoline, and air pollution is the price that people bear. 

President Tsai Ing-Wen has stressed on multiple occasions that “Taiwan is determined to join the world in working towards the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050”. As one step towards net-zero, the government has encouraged people to purchase electric scooters (e-scooters). The National Development Council reports that today there are around 520,000 e-scooters in Taiwan  with growing market share, but how else can electric mobility benefit Taiwan in terms of sustainability goals?

Enel X and Gogoro: When two platform companies work together to create a smarter future

In an interview with CommonWealth Magazine, Gogoro’s Founder and CEO Horace Luke stated that Gogoro is a “platform company” – integrating electric scooters, charging infrastructure and technology. Enel X is also a platform company that brings together distributed power resources with its Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform, to support the local power grid and create new value for energy users.

(Source: Gogoro)

Gogoro’s Battery Swapping Stations (GoStations) are one of the power resources that can be aggregated into Enel X’s VPP, to participate in Taiwan’s energy trading platform established by Taiwan Power Company. Through this collaboration, the two companies support the integration of more renewable power onto Taiwan’s grid. 

How does a Virtual Power Plant work?

Here’s how a VPP works. When Taiwan Power Company recognizes an upcoming supply demand imbalance, it sends a dispatch notification to the energy trading market. Enel X then activates its VPP, including GoStations, to respond to the grid need. Gogoro responds by temporarily powering down or exporting energy from its GoStations during the designated period. This power capacity is used to keep the grid stable and the lights on. When the grid need is over, Enel X notifies Gogoro and the GoStations’ energy consumption restores to regular usage. 

(Source: Enel X Taiwan)

By being flexible with when grid power is used, the battery swapping stations help protect the grid and maintain stable electricity supply for everyone. VPP participation is a key part of the energy transition, because it supports the grid to balance more renewable power sources with existing assets, rather than building new, expensive and emissions intensive power plants.  

Currently in Taiwan Gogoro has more than 2,100 GoStations using nearly 1.3 GWh of power. If the entire GoStation network was called on, it could power the city of Taipei for  up to 45 minutes. 

Welcoming Taiwan’s clean energy future

V2G technology is proven to be feasible, and with the right platforms, our cities can be smarter and greener. Gogoro is leading the way as the first electric mobility company to join Enel X’s VPP in Taiwan, demonstrating how mobility companies can join the energy transition and become part of Taiwan’s clean energy future. 

In an electrified and decarbonized world - with the right kind of technology allowing innovative use of energy – we will see a better environment for all living creatures with less air pollution, and much cleaner, more sustainable cities. 

About the Author:

Roger Chen is the Director of Enel X Taiwan. Enel X is a world leader in Virtual Power Plant and energy services, and entered Taiwan in 2016. Roger has been at Enel X for four years where he leads the team and is head of business development. Prior to his role at Enel X, Roger was Managing Director at Longtide Technology, a power ecosystem company. Roger holds an MBA from the International Trade Institute in Taiwan, and a literature and linguistics degree from Tamkang University, Taiwan.

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