Piaggio will begin production of the Vespa Elettrica in September

Without a doubt, it is the vehicle that many motorcycle enthusiasts have been waiting for, as it combines the best of its past with the technology that opens the doors to the future. Piaggio has just set the start of series production of the new Vespa Elettrica for early September.

The Italian brand has finally decided and committed to launching its electric strategy with the most iconic brand in the group: Vespa. This makes for a vehicle capable of attracting many young people to the world of motorcycles who once abandoned their old Vespa to ride on four wheels and who are now eager to feel again the pleasure of wind in their face.

As announced at the last EICMA edition, the prestigious Milan Motorcycle Show that all brands in the sector attend year after year, along with a large number of enthusiasts, followers of the motorcycle world and many of its main figures, Piaggio is finally joining the electric adventure with Vespa, which will showcase at this 2018 edition the Vespa Elettrica, the brand’s first model without a combustion engine. The traditional fossil-fuel mechanics will be replaced by a small electric motor delivering just 2 kW of continuous electric power, which at peak output can provide up to double that figure, i.e. 4 kW when reaching peak acceleration.

Like any respectable electric vehicle, the acceleration capability of the Vespa Elettrica will be one of its main qualities, guaranteeing a good getaway from a standstill at traffic lights to gain distance over the traditional vehicles around it. Its unmistakable look retains the iconic hallmarks that have made the Vespa a design benchmark that endures over time, but that retro appearance should not mislead us, because beneath this classic 49 cc scooter-style appearance lies a modern vehicle that will allow its rider to travel through residential priority zones or the city-centre areas of cities without suffering any harassment from enforcement officers or being subject to constant monitoring by cameras.

The Vespa Elettrica features a lithium-ion battery in which it stores enough electrical energy to cover 100 kilometres, and a Kers energy recovery system, similar to the one used in major racing competitions, which recovers energy during braking and gradually adds small amounts that extend its range beyond the stated figure. To fully recharge it, you simply need to plug the battery into the mains for four hours. Vespa’s engineers assure that the system requires no maintenance programme whatsoever, and Vespa itself guarantees up to 1,000 full recharge cycles without the battery’s qualities showing any degradation, retaining at least 80 per cent of its capacity. This is enough to last about 10 years of use.

The Vespa owner can also modulate the power delivery of the Vespa Elettrica, thanks first to the good work of its engineers, who opted to include the necessary Ride By Wire and equip the model with two different riding modes (Eco and Power), which allow the rider to modulate power delivery either to limit it (Eco mode) or to extract every last drop of performance (Power mode).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mKeU49wuIM

And finally, it is worth mentioning that, as a vehicle of our time, Vespa will equip the Elettrica with sufficient connectivity to pair with our smartphone and likewise control other multimedia services or the phone. Equipped with a 4.3-inch TFT display, control of the various functions as well as the bike’s performance data is very comfortable.

Vespa is going to produce the Elettrica at its plant in Pontedera, an Italian town near Pisa, starting this September. The first Vespa model was born at this same factory in 1946. From early October it will be possible to reserve the first units of the model through the brand’s own website, and in November the first deliveries will begin. Vespa announces the creation of innovative all-inclusive financing formulas alongside traditional options, ahead of the model going on sale in European markets in early 2019, first in those markets and afterwards making the leap to North America and then to Asian markets.