Vespa Unveils Two Hybrid Scooters

Retro Thing's 2006 April Fool's post gave the low-down on a mythical Vespa hybrid scooter. In a strange case of reality echoing fiction, Vespa's parent company Piaggio is now testing a couple of prototype HyS hybrid gasoline/electric scooters in Milan.

The company has developed two versions, based on their Vespa LX 50 (shown above, with 50cc gas & 1000W electric motor) and the more sleek and powerful Piaggio X8 125 (125cc gas & 2500W electic motor). The combination of electric and gas engines provides approximately 25% more power, helping to alleviate fuel consumption when starting or accelerating. It also reduces gasoline consumption by 20%. The scooter can also operate in locations where combustion engine fumes would be undesirable (inside buildings or covered areas) by switching into a low-speed "electric only" mode.

The vehicle can charge its batteries from the gasoline motor while traveling at normal road speeds. It can also be connected to a standard 220V (European) household plug to recharge the electric cells in about three hours. Plugging in your scooter reduces operating costs by about half, versus the gasoline only version.  Two 12V 26Ah batteries are located under the LX 50 HyS seat, where riders usually store a helmet (the added rear luggage pod is intended to replace the lost storage space). The X8 includes three 12V 26Ah batteries while still offering sufficient under-seat space for a single helmet.

[Update: Geoff emailed a link to 2strokeBuzz, which has lots of nice photos of the LX 50 HyS and the Piaggio X8 HyS. Looks like a great scooter site, too.]

Preview of the Vepsa Hybrid (auto-translated from Italian)

Comments

[SPOC again]

Yeah, but how much will this set me back?

[james]

Right now it's just a prototype that the company is testing in a real world situation. The real magic is the plug-in electical system, since this has the potential to reduce operating costs by about 50%, according to Piaggio's estimates.

[rev bucky]

The thing I like is that the battery recharges off the gas engine! I would like one of these too!

[Ken]

All-electric scooters can also be found at:

http://www.evtamerica.com/

[Eric S. Johansson]

I wonder what it would take to add a strap-on generator to an all electric scooter? I like the idea of all electrics but the range is about 100 miles and 40 mph short of what I need

I'd also be happy with e85 scooting too

[james]

Ken: The problem with electric scoots is that they're underpowered for suburban driving (I need to hit about 40 mph to be able to leave my subdivision safely).

Even EVT's new Z-20 -- which has been pre-announced for the last year and a bit -- can barely hit that speed flat-out (and it certainly won't do it on hills). I'm leaning toward getting a $2000 Yamaha Vino 125 instead - far more practical.

[illnoise]

Thanks for the shout out, here's the link to my main site if anyone is interested: http://www.2strokebuzz.com

You can also find more specs and info about the Piaggio/Vespa hybrids here (specs):
http://2strokebuzz.com/index.php/?p=2758
and here (piaggio press release quoted):
http://2strokebuzz.com/index.php/?p=2762

Thanks again!
illnoise

[illnoise]

bucky: All motorcycles and cars can (and do) charge their battery from the engine, that does you no good as far as saving fuel. These batteries are charged (as in a hybrid car) by the friction created by braking and deccelerating. The big difference between these scooters and a hybrid car is that they can be switched over to full-electric mode (for riding in 'no emissions zones' in europe, or even (theoretically) indoors. The electric-only specs aren't terribly impressive, most electric bicycles are faster and have a longer range, but the option is useful as an added bonus. It's been argued that lugging around the added weight of the batteries will probably nearly negate the fuel savings afforded by the electric assist, but it's hopefully a step in the right direction, and scooters get good mileage as it is (though many scooters already get 20% better mileage than these two models)

[Nick]

So what is the MPG of these things?

[james]

The mileage is reported to be about 20% better than the standard gas versions. There are scoots that get far better fuel economy (the 2-stroke Aprilia SR50 will go about 50 km on a liter), but don't forget emissions. These things can operate on battery-only, letting people take them in vehicle restricted areas. This isn't such a big deal in North America, but it can be important in some European cities.

[vawz]

Yep 2strokebuzz rocks! I have just set up a blog dedicated to scooters...I am ignorant, need to know more before a purchase, so I figure all I learn can go to benifit others on a similar journey and thus it wont go to waste. I just made the comment on treehugger that a mate of mine is serious about trying to import the hybrid into Australia, but having said that I am guessing that if it is Vespa labeled then the existing Vespa dealers would have the import rights...maybe?
Anyway if you are wandering on the web and want to find my new site and tell me what you think - www.scootersnoop.com

See ya.

[Dilip Nandkeolyar]

This is great news! For a countries like India will Vespa think of launching this product at an affordable price, soon enough?

Can anyone tall me how I can establish contacts with the right people at Vespa!

[Electric Scooter Guy]

I love the Vespas, but will this scooter be legal for use in California? 2-strokes tend not to be CA CARB compliant. 2-strokes can be modified to be less polluting, but I don't know that Vespa is doing that. These emmissions laws prohibiting heavy polluting 2-strokes are going national I believe.

[james]

ESG: The entire lineup of Vespa scoots in North America is now 4-stroke and has been for a year or two. I know that 2006 is the last year that new 2-strokes can be sold in Canada and suspect the same is true in the USA.

[Aan de Silva]

Hi,
Need information about the hydbrid scooter

[Scooter boy]

Any scooter lovers heard about when the hybrid vespa is expected to hit the market?

[ev scooters]

ZAP makes an all electric scooter that supposedly goes 30 mph, which is the legal cutoff point for mopeds in most US states. But I've heard it can go over 40 when you flick a switch on the controller, which would make it much more viable in traffic and urban areas. It's got a 3000W hub motor, which theoretically could make you go about 60mph if it was set right. I'm thinking about getting one, anyone know anything about it?

[Scooter]

Ok, but why bother with gas at all. Go 100% electric, if the Vectrix can do it, Vespa certainly can.