Vespa's first electric scooter will hit the streets in 2018
Vespa is going green.
The Piaggio Group, the parent company behind the iconic motor scooter brand, just announced at the Milan Motorcycle Show that Vespa will produce its first all-electric model in 2018. The Electtrica first debuted as a concept vehicle at last year's show, but now, as more automakers embrace electrification and release all-electric and hybrid vehicles, the company will actually put the scooter on roads IRL.
The EV doesn't look much different from Vespa's other offerings — it's got the same design profile as the gas-powered Primavera, with a space-age chrome-and-blue color scheme in promo images (seven other color variations will also be produced).
The difference lies in what the Electtrica runs on: A "Power Unit" capable of delivering 4 kW of juice at peak power that the company claims will offer performance that bests traditional 50cc scooters, especially when it comes to acceleration.
Piaggio says the standard Electtrica model will have a range of up to 62 miles per charge, while a souped-up X variant will feature an additional generator next to the motor for double the range, at 124 miles per charge. The ranges provided by the all-electric system pale in comparison to some of Vespa's more traditional vehicles, like the aforementioned Primavera, which offers about 206 miles on a full tank of gas — so for now, riders who want to cut out fossil fuels will have to settle for shorter rides between charges.
The Electtrica won't require any specialized charging infrastructure, though, which could make up for the limited range. Piaggio says that owners will instead be able to fill up their rides completely by plugging the seat compartment cable into a standard wall-mounted electrical outlet for an estimated four hours.
The new scooter will be Vespa's first all-electric option, but the Electtrica won't be the first e-scooter in the world. Rivals like Gogoro, a brand that launched out of stealth at CES in 2015, are already zipping around city streets, so Piaggio has some catching up to do.
Production will start next year on the Electtrica, which the Piaggio Group plans to distribute around the world. The company didn't release any pricing details or any specific release dates, unfortunately, so it's not exactly clear about how much it'll cost you. We do know that the scooter will be available for pre-order next spring, however. Start saving up for the all-electric ride now.
Topics Electric Vehicles
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
