QUICK LOOK ELETTRICA
It may not be top of most Scootering readers’ Christmas lists but don’t dismiss the Elettrica as a gimmick. Arguably this is the most important scooter Piaggio has produced since the Model 98 entered production in 1946. Although it looks like a Primavera the technology behind the Elettrica is entirely new to Piaggio, whose financial and reputational investment in the project is considerable. Make no mistake, for Vespa the future is electric.
The engine offers peak power of 4kW (5.5bhp) which places it in the 50cc category. Anyone who recalls riding a standard 50 Special will be pleased to hear that the motor produces over 200Nm of torque, giving it faster acceleration and power to negotiate uphill gradients.
As Piaggio spokesman Alberto Cani explained, the Elettrica has been designed to fill a specific niche within the growing ranks of electric two wheelers “Above all it had to look like a Vespa. There are other products out there but most look like powered bicycles. We wanted to produce a stylish alternative that still offered facilities such as helmet stowage.” This decision effectively ruled out a removable power pack. As a result the Elettrica’s lithium-ion battery requires a parking-bay charging point for the four hours it takes to achieve the full charge required for its guaranteed range of 100km. Piaggio claims that the battery retains efficiency for up to 1000 full charging cycles or between 50,000 and 70,000km. Even after the thousand charging cycles, the battery still maintains 80% of its capacity and is perfectly usable. The 50cc bracket has been selected because top end speed is less important in its natural environment of the city centre.
Although it’s featured as a static exhibit for the past two years, 2018 marked the first opportunity for both journalists and public alike to experience the Elettrica up close with a fleet of machines being available to ride around a short test track. I’ll admit that my mind wandered slightly as the range of options and settings were explained during the pre ride briefing. For now it’s enough to say that the engine can be set to ‘eco’ and ‘power’ settings, though intriguingly there’s also ‘reverse’. Cue drunken campsite fun…
I’ve ridden enough e-scooters for the novelty of silence to have worn off but it’s still a weird feeling. Acceleration in both modes feels like that of the LML 125 auto but once my test ride reached an indicated 33kph (20.5mph) it hit the limiter with nowhere else to go. This fits the design brief of stop-start city riding but if the daily commute includes a stretch of A-road it could be quite unpleasant. At €6390 (£5580) scooterists could be forgiven for thinking the market could be limited but Piaggio UK apparently sold 20 within hours of the official launch.
It may feature more in the Sunday supplements than Scootering magazine but make no mistake, Piaggio’s future rests on the success of a revolutionary new form of transport, just as it did in 1946.