Vespa Elettrica
In brief
With around 150 examples of this electric powered moped finding their way on to British roads since its launch in 2018 it’s fair to say that this hasn’t been a roaring commercial success for Piaggio. In truth the ‘50cc’ market has stagnated in the UK for years so that’s no surprise. I suspect the Elettrica has been a ‘halo’ project for Piaggio. Rather like the 946 it’s more important that it exists, rather than it sells. This is a well put together scooter that’s hampered by cost and practicality.
■ What does it cost? List price from £6500 (£5040 with EV grant)
■ How does it ride? It’s essentially a Primavera, build quality is excellent and it feels nimble in an urban environment. However, as with any moped, the open road is a long and boring place to be. The motor has two settings, ‘eco’ and ‘power’. Eco allows the motor to be quick off the mark but reduces top speed from 30 to a blistering 21mph, but in fairness if you’re riding in a congested city centre how much faster can you go? I travelled around 18 miles and used just under half the battery capacity.
■ Is it practical? Range is adequate for city use but recharging is only possible by a three-pin plug that’s permanently attached to the scooter which needs plugging into a domestic circuit. That’s no good if you live in a city apartment, and in truth that’s the natural environment of the Elettrica’s potential owner.
■ Is it City scooter? The only Elettrica I’ve seen ‘in the wild’ was in Kensington and it fitted in perfectly.
■ Is it a Commuter? For short hops it’s lovely, but I wouldn’t want to tackle an inner-city ring road on it…
■ Is it a Tourer? No, but it’s not designed to be.
■ Conclusion: A very well-built scooter that’s surprisingly pleasant to ride. Unfortunately, it’s too impractical and its price pushes brand loyalty to the limit.