The Vespa Elettrica is Vespa’s First Electric Scooter

Updated 9 November 2017

We’ve spent a full 365 waiting to bring you more details about the electric scooter that Vespa announced at last year’s Milan Motorcycle Show. One year ago to the day after Vespa announced it was bringing an e-scooter to the road, Piaggio has unveiled the Vespa Elettrica, a sleek-looking ride with a 62-mile range that’s powered by a 4-kW electric motor and can be charged by plugging into a wall outlet for four hours.

Linked with a 4.3-inch color display between the handlebars, the motor “achieves a performance superior to a traditional 50cc scooter, especially with regard to acceleration,” according to the company.

Pollution-free and completely silent, the Elettrica offers an “agile and enjoyable ride,” Piaggio says.

Once the Elettrica hits the market and is “distributed throughout the world in 2018,” Piaggio plans to follow it up with an Elettrica X model that will have an additional gas-powered engine to extend its range.

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These days a man can’t check his rearview mirror without seeing electric objects.

And they are, in fact, closer than they appear. From GM to Volkswagen, nearly every major automaker has promised a fully electric car by 2020. Hell, even Ferrari is getting into the game.

But it’s not just four-door vehicles in the fray. Now the most recognizable scooter in the world is going electric, and we say it’s about damn time. This week Vespa announced the Vespa Elettrica — a new concept that will retain the Italian motorcycle marque’s classic look but have an electric motor.

Details about the e-scooter are scarce but the Piaggio Group pledges the Elettrica will have the same “style, agility, ease of use and riding pleasure” that classic Vespas “have always known.”

Eco-friendly and filled with “innovative connectivity solutions” (we’re guessing Bluetooth capability and an accompanying app), the Elettrica — featured in press photos with a brushed metal body and blue accents — should arrive in the second half of 2017.

No word yet on pricing or specific specs. But with a projected price poind at around $10,000, don’t expect this iconic scooter at entry-level prices. ‘Til then, it doesn’t hurt to look.