Vespa Elettrica mixes retro styling and high technology
Peak power of 4kw, 200Nm of torque and a useable range - is this the electric scooter we've been waiting for?
The Elettrica is scooter giant, Vespa’s, first foray into the world of electrically powered scooters and as you’d expect from the Italian brand, is classically styled, compact and cool looking and takes its design cues from the small capacity scooters from years gone by. Don’t be fooled into thinking the bike is just a retro homage to times gone by, the technology beneath the classic lines might make this one of the best electric scooters on the market.
Fitted with a 4kW motor that produces 200Nm of torque, the Elettrica should be more than capable of beating all that four-wheeled nonsense away from the lights and with the low centre of gravity, that comes from storing the batteries low in the frame, we’d expect it to handle well too. Sadly, there’s no mention of top speed meaning we can’t assume whether the bike will be as handy on the open road as it should be in the city.
Vespa have worked hard to answer the critics of electric bikes, by guaranteeing a range of 100km (63 miles) which, while it doesn’t sound like much, could easily be enough to cover five days’ worth of commuting in a big city like London. To achieve this range the Elettrica uses F1 derived tech called KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which takes the energy generated in slowing the bike down, turns it into electricity and uses it to charge the battery.
While the system can’t double the range of the bike, the stop-start nature of riding in the city would normally means all that braking energy is wasted, at least it can now be used to help maximise the bikes potential.
When not in use the Vespa can be charged from a normal three-pin plug like you have at home and should go from flat to full in about four hours. It’s also compatible with the fast charging stations that are starting to become commonplace in big cities up and down the country.
We have no official release date yet, although suspect it to be next year as pre-orders are being taken on the Vespa website. The firm are teasing the bike bit by bit so stay tuned, we’ll bring you more news, specs and info as we have it.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
