In 2020 the Vespa Elettrica was shown at Auto Expo in India and rumours are that the new scooter may well sport the Vespa name but is unlikely to be the Elettrica. It’s more likely to be closer to an EV version of the models already sold in India but probably sharing the technology.
2023 launch?
The project is still quite a long way off, with 18-24 months being scheduled for its release, which will give Piaggio time to build up their EV infrastructure (although they already produce an electric version of the Ape in India). Currently, government subsidies for electric vehicles give up to a 40% discount in India but Piaggio wants to make sure their product will still be affordable if the subsidies get cut (as they have done recently in the UK).
Diego Graffi, CEO and MD, Piaggio India, told ETAuto, “We are interested in providing customers with a solution in the two-wheeler space that (makes sense) even beyond the effect of subsidies. It is a matter of fact that the players that have entered recently in this space are gaining volumes on the base of subsidies.” He added, “We just don’t want to enter the market for the sake of entering. We will have a powertrain that will be based on our specifications. We do not want to take anything off the shelf. That’s why it’s taking more time.”
Competition
With a late 2023/2024 release, Piaggio may well be late to the Indian EV party. Bajaj Auto are already well into the Electric Vehicle market. The Cheetak name has recently been revived as the modern auto-style electric scooter pictured above. Their virtual showroom and 360º view is worth checking out and is something many British scooter dealers could aspire to.
LML Electric
We reported last September that LML were also making a comeback as LML Electric. LML’s new 217,800 square foot HQ will be in Bawal, Haryana at a former Harley-Davidson plant, where they have the capacity to produce 18,000 units per month.
LML plan to launch their first model on September 29th to coincide with their 50th anniversary (obviously not including various breaks in production over the years). They aren’t planning to stop there though, the company are already planning to be a ‘100% made in India’ product by 2025 and they’re already looking at another manufacturing site in Madhya Pradesh.
Hero
Market-leading, Hero MotoCorp are also planning an electric 2-wheeler, whilst Hero Electric has teamed up with Mahindra to help scale up their production. Competition is fierce.
Let’s hope people can still afford to charge their electric vehicles after we all end up being dragged into another war.
