Vespa accepts bookings for electric scooter

Le Binh Hai, Piaggio's general manager for Vietnam, said there is no exact release date yet and there are no plans for the company’s other electric scooter, the Piaggio 1.

The vehicles will be imported from Piaggio’s Pontedera plant in Italy.

Hai said the imported volume would be low since Vietnamese consumers do not yet consider electric vehicles a priority.

Piaggio Vietnam first announced the Elettrica would go on sale at the end 2018. It then pushed back the planned date to the second quarter of 2019.

The Elettrica is Vespa's only all-electric model, and has a design similar to the Primavera. In Italy, two variants are sold, 45 and 70, which are named after their top speeds in kilometers per hour.

They carry a price tag of nearly US$8,000.

Both variants have a lithium-ion 86 Ah battery with a range of 100 km. A full charge using 220 V power supply takes four hours. The electric motor generates 5.4 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque.

In Vietnam, the Elettrica is expected to carry a VND280 million ($11,500) price tag, according to retailers.

This might lower the model’s appeal to consumers despite their awareness of the Vespa brand as premium.

Brands that are selling electric scooters and motorbikes include VinFast, Yadea, Son Ha, Dat Bike, and some brands from China sold by independent retailers.

Major names such as Honda, Suzuki and SYM do not sell electric models.

Although Yamaha has its Neo’s at VND50 million, sales have not been as remarkable as gasoline models like Exciter and Janus.