Electric Vespa Gets Real: Production Set to Begin

The electric Vespa first broke cover at the 2016 EICMA show, with plans to begin production in 2018. Well, it’s 2018, and Vespa’s parent company, Piaggio, has been true to its word. Meet the new-for-2019 Vespa Elettrica, set to begin production next month!

Pricing hasn’t been specified, but remember that this is the same company that decided on a $15,000+ out-the-door price for a special edition Armani version of its flagship scooter. Which is to say: it’ll be pricey. Other than that, it should be more than quick enough to win a few stoplight drag races and have enough range for its target, urban audience. Check out the official press release, below, for more details, then let us know what you think of this slick electric scooter in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Piaggio Group: Vespa Elettrica to go into production in September

Milan, Italy — Staying true to the programs presented at the most recent EICMA, the Piaggio Group will start production of Vespa Elettrica in September. The long-awaited electric version of the world’s most famous and beloved scooter will be produced at the Pontedera plant in the province of Pisa, the same one where Vespa first rolled off the line in the spring of 1946 and that today is one of the world’s technological leaders in terms of design, development and production of advanced mobility solutions.
The first vehicles will already be possible to book at the beginning of October and only online on the dedicated website, with innovative all inclusive financing formulas that will join the conventional purchasing systems. The price will be in line with the high-end bracket of the Vespa range presently being marketed.
Vespa Elettrica will then be gradually put on the market starting from the end of October to reach full marketing in November to coincide with the 2018 Milan EICMA show. Sales will begin in Europe to then be extended to the United States and Asia starting from early 2019.
Vespa Elettrica is but a first step for the Piaggio Group in the direction of a new richness of interconnection between vehicles and human operators. Vespa Elettrica will be ready to be fitted out in the near future with solutions currently being developed for Gita, the robot currently on the drawing board at Piaggio Fast Forward in Boston (which will be entering production at the beginning of 2019), such as artificial intelligence systems both adaptive and responsive to all human input. They will be aware of people and other vehicles operating in the vicinity, extend the operator’s ability to sense potential perils and opportunities, and provide real time mapping and traffic data that contributes to improving the design of transportation infrastructures in cities. Most of all, these new generation vehicles will thoroughly know their operators: they will recognize them without key fobs, anticipate their driving choices, interact with other devices and vehicles on the road and allow for degrees of personalization that can barely be imagined today.
Vespa Elettrica is launched as the contemporary icon of Italian technology around the world. By adopting electric drive, Vespa once again strongly makes a name for itself as a symbol of style combined with the best of innovation. Vespa Elettrica is not just a new electric scooter. It is a work of art of our day, with a technological core that is born carrying with it all the values of the world of Vespa, its image, its social and eco-friendly soul, now even more sensitive to the quality of life of our urban environment.
Vespa Elettrica means riding easy, natural. It means advanced connectivity and silence, personalization and accessibility, values that have always belonged to Vespa and that today have been totally achieved in Vespa Elettrica.
The Vespa brand today is experiencing one of the most successful moments of its history, with over a million and a half vehicles sold during the last decade. The first half of 2018 closed with about a 10% increase in sales volumes compared to 30 June 2017.

Source | Images: Piaggio Vespa.

Electric Vespa Gets Real: Production Set to Begin

The electric Vespa first broke cover at the 2016 EICMA show, with plans to begin production in 2018. Well, it’s 2018, and Vespa’s parent company, Piaggio, has been true to its word. Meet the new-for-2019 Vespa Elettrica, set to begin production next month!

Pricing hasn’t been specified, but remember that this is the same company that decided on a $15,000+ out-the-door price for a special edition Armani version of its flagship scooter. Which is to say: it’ll be pricey. Other than that, it should be more than quick enough to win a few stoplight drag races and have enough range for its target, urban audience. Check out the official press release, below, for more details, then let us know what you think of this slick electric scooter in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Piaggio Group: Vespa Elettrica to go into production in September

Milan, Italy — Staying true to the programs presented at the most recent EICMA, the Piaggio Group will start production of Vespa Elettrica in September. The long-awaited electric version of the world’s most famous and beloved scooter will be produced at the Pontedera plant in the province of Pisa, the same one where Vespa first rolled off the line in the spring of 1946 and that today is one of the world’s technological leaders in terms of design, development and production of advanced mobility solutions.
The first vehicles will already be possible to book at the beginning of October and only online on the dedicated website, with innovative all inclusive financing formulas that will join the conventional purchasing systems. The price will be in line with the high-end bracket of the Vespa range presently being marketed.
Vespa Elettrica will then be gradually put on the market starting from the end of October to reach full marketing in November to coincide with the 2018 Milan EICMA show. Sales will begin in Europe to then be extended to the United States and Asia starting from early 2019.
Vespa Elettrica is but a first step for the Piaggio Group in the direction of a new richness of interconnection between vehicles and human operators. Vespa Elettrica will be ready to be fitted out in the near future with solutions currently being developed for Gita, the robot currently on the drawing board at Piaggio Fast Forward in Boston (which will be entering production at the beginning of 2019), such as artificial intelligence systems both adaptive and responsive to all human input. They will be aware of people and other vehicles operating in the vicinity, extend the operator’s ability to sense potential perils and opportunities, and provide real time mapping and traffic data that contributes to improving the design of transportation infrastructures in cities. Most of all, these new generation vehicles will thoroughly know their operators: they will recognize them without key fobs, anticipate their driving choices, interact with other devices and vehicles on the road and allow for degrees of personalization that can barely be imagined today.
Vespa Elettrica is launched as the contemporary icon of Italian technology around the world. By adopting electric drive, Vespa once again strongly makes a name for itself as a symbol of style combined with the best of innovation. Vespa Elettrica is not just a new electric scooter. It is a work of art of our day, with a technological core that is born carrying with it all the values of the world of Vespa, its image, its social and eco-friendly soul, now even more sensitive to the quality of life of our urban environment.
Vespa Elettrica means riding easy, natural. It means advanced connectivity and silence, personalization and accessibility, values that have always belonged to Vespa and that today have been totally achieved in Vespa Elettrica.
The Vespa brand today is experiencing one of the most successful moments of its history, with over a million and a half vehicles sold during the last decade. The first half of 2018 closed with about a 10% increase in sales volumes compared to 30 June 2017.

Source | Images: Piaggio Vespa.

Vespa Electric Scooter Arrives Next Year With 62 Miles Of Range

Vespa told us last year at this time that it was working on an electric scooter. This year, the company brought its electric offering —  the Vespa  Elettrica — to the Milan Motorcycle Show, where it revealed lots of details about its latest zero emissions scooter except for the price. The Vespa Elettrica will be available sometime next year, although the company has not said exactly when.

Piaggio, the parent company of Vespa, tells The Verge its electric scooter will have a range of 100 kilometers or 62 miles. That’s about a third that of the Vespa Primavera, the 50 cc model that is the price leader in the company’s gasoline powered lineup. But the Vespa Elettica is not intended for long distance commuting. The company calls it “perfect for city environments” and it probably is exactly that. The torque of its electric motor should offset some of the machine’s lack of range with performance that is superior to a traditional 50 cc machine.

Charging the battery takes 4 hours from a “normal wall outlet,” which in Italy is 220 volts. In North America, charging time would be longer. Piaggio says the battery is good for  about 50,000 to 70,000 kilometers — equivalent to about 10 years of use. The battery is expected to have 80% capacity remaining after 1,000 charging cycles. There is no information available about whether the battery can be replaced or how much a replacement battery might cost.

For those who are concerned about range, Vespa will sell a hybrid model with a gas powered range extender generator that will boost range to about 200 kilometers or 124 miles.

As befits an electric vehicle, the Vespa Elettica will come complete with a 4.3 inch touchscreen that displays information such as speed, range remaining, and battery state of charge. A smartphone app will allow drivers to connect to the electric scooter via Bluetooth to access texts and incoming phone calls. The app will also have a map feature and make diagnostic information available to the driver. Vespa will offer a Bluetooth-enabled helmet with built-in microphone and speakers for hands free communication during any journey.

The Vespa Elettica comes standard in silver livery with electric blue trim but the buyer can choose from 7 different colors when ordering one. The company has released no information about availability in North America yet.

Vespa Launches Electric Scooter at EICMA 2016

Vespa just made history by launching its first-ever electric scooter model at EICMA 2016. And, frankly, I couldn’t be more excited about a new scooter if I tried.

“The Vespa Elettrica will, first and foremost, be a true Vespa,” according to Vespa’s official PR. “(It will be) bringing the very latest in electric technology to a vehicle that will retain all the features that have been vital to its success. The style, agility, ease of use, and riding pleasure will be the same as the Vespa we have always known, with the addition of technological and innovative connectivity solutions—a perfect mix of excitement, technology and environmental friendliness that only Vespa can create. Like it has always done in its first 70 years of history.”

Electric Vespa Looks Perfect

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Sadly, Vespa’s parent company, Piaggio, hasn’t seen fit to announce any specs. Still, given the instant-on torque of electric motors and Vespa’s experience with efficient CVT transmissions, it’s safe to say that performance will be at least on par with the brand’s 2 stroke 50cc bikes. Probably.

I hope they call it “Vespa 2, Electric Boogaloo”, but they might not. What would you call the little electric scooter? Would you buy one? Let us know what you think of Vespa’s latest bid to keep its models eco-relevant in the comments section at the bottom of the page, and keep an eye out for more EICMA coverage in the coming days. Enjoy!

Source | Images: Vespa, via Ultimate Motorcycling.

Yamaha 04GEN Scooter Concept Wins the Style War - VIDEO

Meet the 04GEN- a new concept bike from Yamaha that sees Vespa’s bet on the 946 Emporio Armani and raises, going all-in. Yamaha is so far gone with the heady fumes of Sharpie markers that even the PR people are getting in on the wild design action when they write that the scooter, “evokes the image of women, with an air of dignified elegance and grace in mind and body.”

Yamaha debuted the 04GEN last week at the first Vietnam motorcycle show. The company- which is developing an all-electric ecosystem of bikes to take riders from the cradle to the grave, metaphorically speaking- wanted to make a splash. I think they succeeded, too- because, in my memory, there has never been a scooter as comprehensively designed as the Yamaha 04GEN.

From the headlight to the taillight, every aspect of the Yamaha 04GEN concept has been considered and rendered in loving detail. It isn’t so much the shape of the bike, however, that draws attention. It’s the shimmering, translucent skin that the bike, itself, is made of.

That “skin” gives the 04GEN something like a crystalline, insect-like quality that gives it an otherworldly vibe. It looks gorgeous. It looks like it’s from the future. It looks like I’ll buy one within hours of it being available in the US.

What about you guys? Would something like this Yamaha concept scoot get you riding on two wheels or is the whole flutter-by wing gimmick just too, well, gimmicky? Let us know what you think in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Yamaha 04GEN Scooter Concept

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Source | More Photos: Yamaha, via Auto Evolution.

This Just Might be the World’s Most Perfect Vespa

By packing 38 tire-blistering horsepower into a cut-down, ultra lightweight 2 wheeler with a straight-cut, 4-speed transmission, the German mental patients at Scooter and Service may have just built the world’s most perfect vintage Vespa.

That’s right, kids. Thirty-eight horsepower. To the wheel.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll note that this tiny hellion Vespa is packing more horsepower than that ridiculous Harley-Davidson Street 500 your dad is thinking about buying to tool around his 50+ retirement community on. That’s also more horsepower than the latest entry-level sport bikes from Honda and Kawasaki, and it’s all wrapped in a package that you could probably ride down a city bike lane without drawing the nasty looks that (trust me on this) a full-size big boy bike will net you. At under 200 lbs., each of those 38 horses only has to pull about 5.3 lbs. That’s better than a Porsche- and not just any Porsche, mind you- but Porsche’s raciest car ever, the 475 HP 2014 GT3 911.

Factor in that this vintage smallframe Vespa is so utterly non-threatening in appearance that your mom will not only call it “cute”, she might ask to borrow it. ProTip: unless your mom is Susanna Schick, she’ll be killed.

You can check out the final product …

… and take a look at some of the behind-the-scenes work that went into this jaw-dropping, 80 MPG (like, at a steady cruise) vintage Vespa restomod, below. Let us know what you think of the little bike, and how you’d ride the crazy thing in the comments at the bottom of the page.

Source | Photos: Scooter and Service, via Return of the Cafe Racers.