Vespa Elettrica tours Europe

The new electric Vespa Elettrica is being promoted across Europe’s main cities in rock star fashion with test rides and entertainment.

The Sound of Europe Tour has taken the electric scooter to Berlin and is now moving to Milan (May 31-June 9), Amsterdam (June 14-30), Paris (July 5-21) and Madrid (September 13-29).

The tour includes a Vespa pop-up store and a soundtrack from DJs Merk & Kremont with further entertainment.

The Vespa Elettrica has a similar performance to a standard 50cc scooter. It features a brushless DC motor rated for 2kW continuous and 4kW peak power, an 86.4kW battery and the motor has a torque rating of over 200Nm.

It can get up to about 45km/h.

The range is around 100km and the lithium battery can be recharged in four hours.

A second, normal 12V battery is available for power supply while standing. A USB port for mobile phone charging is in a small compartment at the scooter’s front, while a helmet fits in the under-seat storage.

A 4.3-inch colour digital dashboard, Bluetooth and an app transform the display into a smartphone extension. This allows calls and messages to be made, read and answered without removing the hands from the handlebars.

The Elettrica isn’t cheap in Europe, priced around 6390 euros.

Meanwhile, Vespa Italian industrial designer Giulio Iacchetti has reimagined the original 1946 Vespa as a slimmer electric concept called the Vespampere.

A weather protected smartphone holder recharges the phone, while the speedometer, fuel gauge, and lights are accessed through a wireless app.

Classic elements like the front circular headlight are kept, and the rear-view mirrors include turn signals.

Visit tour.vespa.com for more information.