Vespa Elettrica electric scooter: price (on-road), range, colours, images, and specifications

Piaggio is a motor vehicle manufacturer based in Italy, offering a wide range of two-wheeler motor vehicles. Piaggio wants to enter the electronic vehicle (EV) space in India through one of its Vespa subsidiaries, the Vespa Elettrica. The company has already showcased the Vespa Elettrica at the Delhi Auto Expo, once in 2018 and next in 2020. While the EV space is getting populated with newcomers, it looks like the well-established player Piaggio is adopting a wait-and-watch policy for this segment. Sudhanshu Agarwal, the business head of two-wheelers, Piaggio India, when asked “when people will see Vespa Elettrica on the roads,” said the EV market is still premature. “In the EV space, we need to position Vespa as a luxury lifestyle product just like the rest of the products,” he said.

In a conversation with the Economic Times, Diego Graffi, managing director of Piaggio India, talked about the company’s plans on how it’s going to expand itself in the EV space in India. He said, “the company wouldn’t enter the EV market just for the sake of it. Instead, they will have a ‘powertrain’ based on their specifications”. They want to build everything new, and that’s why it’s taking up more time. The Vespa Elettrica is expected to be an upcoming electric scooter in India from Piaggio, and here’s what you need to know about it.

Vespa Elettrica price in India (expected)

Though the design might happen in Italy, the scooter is focused on being built in India as Vespa is evaluating its first e-scooters launch in the Indian market. After reaching the Indian market, it can be expected in the price range between Rs 90,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

Vespa Elettrica images

Vespa Elettrica features

The Elettrica project was first introduced at the EICMA 2016 in Milan by the Piaggio group as a commitment to change people’s mobility. The Piaggio group finally turned this concept into the final version and introduced the production-ready Vespa Elettrica to the world at EICMA 2017. In India, it was showcased at Delhi Auto Expo 2018 and 2020.

As we’ve seen the petrol-powered Vespa scooters, which come with a mix of retro design and modern technology, the e-scooter elettrica will have a similar plan containing curved body panels and full-LED lighting and chrome embellishments. The storage space beneath the seat is spacy enough to keep a helmet inside. Here are some top features –

Super silent: Using the Vespa Elettrica, navigating the streets with absolute silence is a reality, whether they choose the eco mode or the Power mode.

Riding modes:  Vespa Elettrica has two riding modes, Eco and Power. The Eco mode is perfect for daily city commutes, whereas the Power mode is created to extract the maximum performance. The range offered by the company varies as per the variant and the riding mode it provides. The scooter has a reverse way too.

Fun and connectivity: The scooter’s multi-media system will connect the rider’s smartphone to the bike via Bluetooth using the Vespa connect app, thus making the display an extension of the phone itself. This feature allows the rider to answer calls, activate voice commands, view message notifications and manage music. The digital colour TFT dashboard displays information like speedometer, battery temperature, clock, battery range, and odometer. This info display ensures you can use it safely and doesn’t require taking your hand off the handlebar.

Simple to charge: The battery charger is stored beneath the seat and can be fully charged in 4 hours. It can easily be set by connecting it to wall-mounted electrical sockets or public charging ports. The engine, as well as the battery, require no maintenance. The vehicle will have a 4.2kWh lithium-ion battery which is said to be used by a brushless DC motor and will generate a maximum power of 4kW (5.4PS) and 200 Nm of peak Torque.

Vespa Elettrica specifications

As revealed by Piaggo, the Vespa Elettrica will have the following specifications:

• 2-wheeler type: electric scooter
• Maximum power: 4kW
• Motor torque: 200Nm (at the wheel)
• Seat height: 790mm

  Engine and gearbox
  

• Continuous Power: 3.5 kW
• Maximum Power: 4 kW
• Motor Torque: 200 Nm (at the wheel)
• Battery Cell producer: LG Chem
• Energy Recovery: Yes

  Brakes and tyres
• Front Tyre: 110/70 – 12″
• Rear Tyre: 120/70 – 11″
• Front Brake: Ø 200 mm disc
• Rear Brake: Ø140 mm drum
• Braking System: 200mm disc brake up front; 140mm drum brake at the rear.
  Combine braking system is available in the 70km/h variant 

  Dimension and weight

• Weight (With Battery): 130 kg
• Length: 1,870 mm
• Width: 735 mm
• Height: 1,150 mm
• Seat Height: 790 mm

  Console features

• Speedometer: Digital
• Fuel gauge: Digital

  Battery and range

• Battery Voltage: 48 V
• Battery Capacity: 86 Ah
• Battery Energy: 4.2 kWh
• Battery Weight: 25 kg
• Maximum Speed: 45 km/h
• Top speed:   1. For 40km/h (eco/power) – 30km/h / 45km/h
                     2. For 70km/h (eco/power) – 45km/h / 70km/h
• Range: 1. For 40km/h (eco/power)- 100km / 80km
             2. For 70km/h (eco/power)- 100km / 70km
• Charge time: 4 hours (*minimum recharge time with 220 V power)
• Battery Life: 1,000 cycles (residual capacity 80%)
• Power modes: The Vespa Elettrica has two riding modes, Eco and Power. The Eco mode is perfect for daily city commutes, whereas the Power mode is created to extract the maximum performance. The range offered by the company varies as per the variant and the riding mode it provides. The scooter has a reverse mode too. 

  Wheels
• Wheelbase: 1,350 mm
• Material: Alloy

Vespa Elettrica colours

The Vespa Elettrica comes in these colours:

• Azzuro Elettrico
• Giallo Lampo
• Verde Boreale
• Grigio Fumo
• Cromo
• Nero Profondo

Vespa Elettrica warranty

Vespa offers a standard warranty of 24 months. And provides an option of extending the contract with specific packages for the following 3rd and 4th years.

Vespa Elettrica review

Since this e-scooter will still take time to enter the market, people seem to be waiting for them. The 2021 Vespa Elettrica that arrived in the UK saw some favourable reviews. Bennettes said that the Vespa Elettrica is an expensive e-scooter but offers a sophisticated design and is user-friendly.

Pros:

• Sophisticated design
• Easy to ride
• Smart features

Cons:

• Expensive
• Better options available

Vespa Elettrica competitors

Vespa said it would be bringing the Elettrica via the CBU (entirely built up unit); therefore, it is priced higher than its competition, with its competitors being Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak, and TVS iQube. Right now, the leading e-two-wheelers are- Ola S1 Pro, Odysse Hawk Plus, Hero Electric NYX HX (Dual Battery), Revolt RV 400, Okinawa IPraise+, Hero Electric Optima HX (Dual Battery), and Ampere Magnus EX.