Taipei: Taiwanese electric scooter firms are expanding into Southeast Asia, banking on battery-swapping technology to meet rising demand amid higher fuel prices and urban pollution. Speaking at The Economist's annual Sustainability Week Asia in Bangkok last week, Gogoro CEO Henry Chiang highlighted Taiwan's battery-swapping model as a potential solution for Asian cities struggling with pollution and gasoline dependency. According to Focus Taiwan, Chiang noted that 19 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in Asia, along with the five noisiest cities. He emphasized that traditional charging systems face obstacles in the scooter market, such as limited urban space and long charging times. Gogoro's 11 years of experience in Taiwan demonstrate that battery swapping can overcome these challenges. The company, founded in 2011, has established over 2,700 battery-swapping stations in Taiwan, serving more than 650,000 riders and managing approximately 370,000 battery swaps daily. Its network is integrated into a virtual power plant to assist in managing electricity demand. Gogoro plans to introduce a pilot program in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in the second quarter of this year, targeting a market where annual motorcycle sales surpass 3 million units. Meanwhile, the Thai-Taiwanese joint venture Aionex has launched two new electric scooter models in Bangkok, with high fuel prices potentially prompting consumers and businesses to transition to electric vehicles. Aionex CEO Gary Ting remarked that future competition in the EV sector will extend beyond vehicle sales. He noted that the next stage of competition would focus on integrated solutions combining data, vehicles, and energy infrastructure. Both Gogoro and Aionex view Thailand and Vietnam as crucial battlegrounds where Taiwan's battery-swapping technology and solutions could expand their regional influence. The Federation of Thai Industries reported that domestic BEV sales surged 80% last year, reaching 120,301 units.