Piaggio investigating localization of Vespa electric scooter in India

Diego Graffi, Chairman and Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles, has told MoneyControl.com that the company is investigating the possibility to fully localise the powertrain for the Vespa electric scooter.

He hinted that whenever the company will find the market condition suitable, it will bring the electric scooter in India. Presently, Piaggio is not being able to scale up the component sourcing within India to 100%, which is making the company shy away from the e-two-wheeler space. Besides the poor supply chain, reasons include lack of charging infrastructure and high acquisition cost for the customer.

Vespa electric scooter showcased at Auto Expo

Piaggio is currently producing and selling electric two-wheelers under the Vespa brand outside India. The company showcased the ‘Elettrica’ electric scooter at the Auto Expo 2020 and received a positive response from dealers and customers, as claimed Graffi. Some media reports had said earlier this year that the premium Elettrica would be launched in the Indian market.

Piaggio has already entered the EV space in India with electric passenger three-wheeler in India and in coming months plans to introduce an electric cargo three-wheeler as well with fixed and swappable battery technology.

For electric scooters, Piaggio believes the constraint is the level of localisation. As most of the powertrain, including the battery and controller for the electric two-wheelers is not available in India, it has to be imported from China or rest of the world, a main reason that has cost Bajaj sales of the Chetak. At the time of the Auto Expo, the company was reported as planning a low-cost Vespa electric scooter for India in the same style as the Elettrica.

Speaking about the Vespa Elettrica sold in Europe currently, it uses a 4 kW motor that allows the vehicle to run at top speed if 70 kmph. The scooter takes four hours to be charged fully and offers a range of 100 km.