The trend shift towards electric mobility solutions has been quite evident, with more and more manufacturers joining the line-up and going ‘Green’ governments around the world are also encouraging the clean electric mobility solution initiative. Now a motorcycle manufacturer synonymous with performance could be planning to enter the EV space in the near future.
According to a media report, Italian premium motorcycle manufacturer Piaggio has filed patents for a new trademark ‘eSR1’ in the European market leading us to believe that the company is planning to bring an electric-powered scooter under the Aprilia brand. While the brand has not officially revealed if it plans to bring an electric scooter the evidence is in the moniker itself. The ‘SR’ marque is used for scooters in the brand’s two-wheeler portfolio and the ‘e’ prefix could be short for electric. The design of the logo is also quite similar to the one’s branded on the ICE powered scooters.
In terms of design and styling, the new electric-powered Aprilia could be based on the internal combustion engine-powered Aprilia SR-series scooter which is also sold in the Indian market. The powertrain could be borrowed from the Vespa Elletrica which is currently for sale in the international market.
The Vespa Elletrica is powered by a Piaggio electric brushless motor coupled to a lithium-ion battery and makes use of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to recharge during deceleration. The power unit is rated to generate 4kW of maximum power and 200 Nm of torque at the wheel. The battery pack manufactured by LG Chem is a 4.2 kWh 48V 86 Ah lithium-ion battery that has a life of 1,000 cycles and has the capability of propelling the e-scooter to a top speed of 70 kmph. The battery can be charged using a 220V outlet which takes approximately 4 hours to recharge.
If the powertrain is employed on the Aprilia eSR1, the brand is likely to tune it for higher performance and offer a sportier experience to the rider. The brand is also likely to bring the electric-powered scooter to the Indian market and compete with rivals such as Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak Electric, TVS iQube and the recently spied Suzuki Burgman Electric.