“The price will be in line with the high-end bracket of the Vespa range presently being marketed”
The Piaggio Group will start the production of Vespa Elettrica in September. The first vehicles can be ordered at the beginning of October and only online on the dedicated website. “The price will be in line with the high-end bracket of the Vespa range presently being marketed”, it is said in the official Piaggio press release.
We’re hoping it’s not the 946 edition they are talking about. Because it would cost about $10,000.
Sales will begin in Europe to then be extended to the United States and Asia starting from early 2019.
Vespa Elettrica has a power unit capable of delivering a continuous power of 2 kW and a peak power of 4 kW, combined with a torque of over 200 Nm. The performance is superior to that of a traditional 50 cc scooter, especially when it comes to acceleration – the torque is right there when you need it.
It has a maximum range of 100 km and features a “stop and go” system. The time required for a full charge is 4 hours and Piaggio says that the battery provides full efficiency for up to 1.000 full charging cycles. After that, it features 80% of its capacity.
The rider can choose between two riding modes: ECO and Power, in addition to Reverse mode. In ECO mode, aimed at saving energy, you obtain more battery life; speed is limited to 30 km/h and acceleration is more gradual. However, Power is the basic riding mode which exploits all the power of the engine.
Vespa Elettrica X: a range of up to 200 km
Vespa Elettrica is also available in the X version, with a range of up to 200 km thanks to its petrol driven generator that, depending on riding style, saves battery charge. To make room for the generator and its fuel tank (3 litres), Vespa Elettrica X uses a smaller battery pack that, with the generator off, provides a range of up to 50 km. The generator adds another 150 km to the range, bringing it up to 200 km, a figure that also makes Vespa Elettrica suitable for out of town riding.
The generator kicks in automatically, when the battery charge level falls below a certain threshold or can be manually entered by the rider selecting Extender mode.
Vespa Elettrica comes in a special chrome grey finish with metallic reflections, around which the customer can choose to tailor many distinctive details. The profile that runs along the entire perimeter of the shield, the "necktie" fingers, the border of the wheel rims, the profile of the "Vespa" nameplate and the seat trim are in fact available in seven colour variants: Azzurro Elettrico (standard on Vespa Elettrica), Rame (standard on Vespa Elettrica X), Cromo, Giallo Lampo, Verde Boreale, Nero Profondo and Nero Fumo.
A further personal touch comes from the possibility of adding a special label to the leg shield back plate with your own name. Plus, in line with the concept of customised "total look", there is a special Jet helmet exclusively for Vespa Elettrica, in the vehicle livery and finishes, all in the colour chosen by the customer. This helmet stands out not only for style but also technological content, integrating bluetooth earphones to use the smartphone and listen to music through the Vespa Multimedia Platform.
