At the recent launch of the 2018 Aprilia SR 150 and Vespa 150 range, Piaggio India revealed to IAB that the company does not have immediate plans to launch the Vespa Elettrica in India.
A report from July stated that the company is considering EVs for India; however, there was no word on the launch schedule. Answering to IAB’s query related to the Vespa Elettrica, Mr Diego Graffi, CEO and MD - Piaggio India, said, -
The Vespa Elettrica that we showcased at the Auto Expo 2018 is the one for which we have started production in Italy for mainly the European market. It is produced at our plant in Pontedera, Italy. Definitely, we see, I foresee, that there is a future for electric scooters here in India, but it is not only the matter of product and technology. We have the product and technology ready at our group level but there is a matter of cost, mainly the cost of batteries. That is still a constraint, to make the product viable in India where there are bigger tensions of price and costs, usage and also the availability of infrastructure for charging. It is not only about riding the vehicle but also be able to charge it. I see there is a lot of positive evolution from that point of view as well.
When probed further about the launch timelines of the Elettrica, Mr Graffi said, -
We don’t have a clear plan to introduce the Vespa Elettrica here in India. It’s hard to mention a launch timeline, in the sense that the technology, product and design patent is there from Piaggio. Whenever we feel there is a need, we can come to the market quite easily, but at the moment, we don’t have a clear plan.
The company showcased the Vespa Elettrica e-scooter in India at the Auto Expo 2018. The Elettrica shares its underpinning and other components with the Vespa VX range. The e-scooter uses a 4.2 kWh Lithium-ion battery that is capable of producing 5.4 bhp of maximum power along with a peak torque of 20 Nm.
The Vespa Elettrica e-scooter is available in two versions - standard and X. The standard model offers an all-electric range of 100 km, while the Elettrica X gets a riding range of 200 km. The e-scooter receives two riding modes - Eco and Power - with the top speed restricted to 30 kph in the Eco mode.
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If launched in India, the Vespa Elettrica will rival the Okinawa Praise, Ather 450, and the Twenty-Two Motors Flow e-scooter. The Vespa Elettrica is likely to cost around INR 1.5 lakh (ex-showroom) in India.
