InterAksyon
Date: July 13, 2015
By: J.R. Wu, Reuters

TAIPEI — Companies such as electric motor scooter firm Gogoro could hold the key to

A mechanic examines a Gogoro Smartscooter which is connected to a tablet, in its shop in Taipei, Taiwan. Reuters file photo

Taiwan’s economic growth.

In just three years, the start-up, which counts Japan’s Panasonic Corp as a strategic partner and Cher Wang, the founder of local smartphone maker HTC Corp as a key investor, raised $150 million to develop the smartphone-synched bike, and a charging network for it. The Smartscooters went on sale last month, starting at around $4,100.

Gogoro’s success in creating a home-grown, innovative product is precisely what Taiwan’s government wants to foster as it seeks to reduce the export-driven economy’s reliance on the island’s world-class tech manufacturing sector.     [FULL  STORY]