Modern Vespa

Morning all, every year I hunger for new product news from Vespa…and this year all I noticed was a red color/branding for Ellectrica.

No change in range, top speed, or anything material for rest of lineup.

Maybe I missed something..?

I suspect they may be investing all their time and resources into the widely predicted electric vehicle boom.

If Piaggio is "investing all their time and resources into" electric vehicles, I hope they sooner or later come up with something most of us would want to ride.

Why fuck with perfection?

A red Elettrica? Didn't see that coming. New colors are pretty much Vespa at Eicma.
I'm waiting for them to run through the high end designers, and then come out with a Chef Gordon Ramsey GTS 300 that automatically rams into the back of the car in front of you if they don't get moving immediately when the light turns green, or a Gwyneth Paltrow Primavera with an exhaust that smells like her candle.

True ...

... shame Piaggio hasn't yet reached it

With modern technology why can't my Vespa horn scream "Get the fuck out of my Kitchen!" in a deranged tone instead of meep meep?

Piaggio just released the HPE engine, I wouldn't expect much yet.

I was at the show. Piaggio is focusing on the following according to what i saw at the show.

Moto Guzzi … huge , V100 was on display on its own stage.
Piaggio …. electric is hot , several new all electric models.
Vespa…. branding with DIOR, Electric Red as mentioned, HPE
Aprilia .. didn't bother to look.

By far Guzzi was the winner ..

There were so many manufacturers of electric bikes , scooters , motorcycles .. I was shocked by the numbers of manufacturers jumping into the game. China , Taiwan, Vietnam , Italy all getting big into electric.

the hpe was 3 years ago in europe (only just)

https://www-vespaforum-de.translate.goog/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=57113&sid=22b51f6e9ac4cbeb533ec53477ed42ed&_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

The Piaggio 1 ev-scoot will be the big news

https://www.piaggio.com/us_EN/piaggio-world/news-piaggio/the-new-piaggio-1/


Piaggio 1 MSRP $2,999 jan/feb arrival

Piaggio1 Active MSRP $4,399 jan/feb arrival

Piaggio 1 Feng Chen Wang MSRP $4,699 march/april

Piaggio 1: Speed of 27 mph, range of up to 34 miles in ECO*, up to 26 miles in SPORT (WMTC cycle)

Piaggio 1 Active: Speed of 37 mph, range of up to 52 miles in ECO*, up to 41 miles in SPORT (WMTC cycle)

Piaggio 1 Feng Chen Wang
A special edition that combines the technology and sustainability of the Piaggio 1 with the modern, multidimensional style of Feng Chen Wang.

When did the large-frame GTS change? 2009?

2006.

Vespa need to build and sell an Electric GTS with a top speed of 70 MPH and a range of 100+ miles city, 60 miles highway.

I agree jas67 , maybe time to ditch the steel and lighten up .

For Vespa, steel is the deal. Otherwise, it's just a Piaggio.

Seriously, the metal monocoque chassis is an integral design element that ties the modern offering back to the original design brief. Maybe they can find a way to remake the chassis so a battery module can make the bottom of the floorboard?

$4400, and the best they can give us is an hour of "SPORT" riding.

I'm unimpressed.

az-slynch I concur with you about keeping the monocoque construction , but lightening up is the way to go at the moment whilst batteries are still heavyweights. Some modern material integration into the chassis would allow more dense batteries to be used .

They could make them out of titanium. It's light. They might be $150,000, but the weight savings could give you another 20-30 miles, until the crackheads find out they're worth way more than the copper wire in your house.

It came out in the UK & Europe in 2005.

They won't ditch the steel monoque frame as it's very very strong (considerably stronger than trellis steel frames) and that's what you need in order to carry heavy batteries. Without an ice in it there is quite a bit of space available for the newer energy dense batteries that will be coming online in a couple of years or three. They should be able to offer ranges in excess of 150 miles with charging up time in just a few minutes, not hours. Piaggio will be biding it's time on this regarding the bigger ev bikes. Theres no actual rush as here in the UK and most of europe ice engined bikes can continue to be sold until 2035.

Westlife?

A mix, like the Velocifero, might be a better approach to an electric vespa.

Maybe, but I don't see that happening enmass. I've seen some pretty advanced testing & research that indicates most manufacturers wil likely go straight to new technology high density batteries giving long range & that charge up fully in just a few minutes. Electric vehicle motors too are becoming more efficient, lighter & more powerful. It's all good.

Agreed - a weak showing, that

The Velocifero was a mix if Vespa style metal body and modern plastic panels. This might be where Vespa ends up in their quest for a useful electric scooter. Tradition and modern.

I don't believe the steel monocoque frame of the Vespa is significantly heavier than a tubular steel frame of comparable strength..

As many have discussed. The advances in battery technology with a quick charging
ability and a longer range will make the real breakthrough. Hopefully, the sometimes
increased prohibitive pricing will also come under control with volume of units produced.

I would also think that this technology would require less maintenance and be
more reliable. Just like the old electric fan that you just plug in and turn on.

Bob Copeland

Correct! It's actually lighter than many trellis framed machines of similar performance. It's incredibly stiff too compared to trellis frames.

You're wrong about everything, the Vespa will remain with the 4-stroke engine but it will fuel it with hydrogen.
The novelty is that you will buy the compressed hydrogen cylinder and you would put it in its housing every time you refuel.
No pollution, low cost.

I'm hoping for a carbon fiber large frame, with electric propulsion, 65 mph top speed, and 100+ mile rage; this is doable!

Having dealt with carbon fiber frames on bicycles, I am hoping not.

Hi Attila, Hope you are doing ok.

I doubt Vespa will go to Hydrogen. The amount of extra space for the technology to enable the 4 stroke engine to run ok on hydrogen will be at a premium. It's doable but would be very difficult. And, here in the Uk there is zero provision for hydrogen infrastructure as that is not the way the government wants to take us because of all the problems inherent with hydrogen. Electric has so many more advantages and is easier to implement. And after all, battery technology is so far ahead now over what it was even just 3 years ago that ev Vespas are the only sensible way to go. A bike that will charge up in just 2-8 minutes and give a range of 150 miles is what is likely coming. And the performance will far outstrip an ice engine.

On the monocoque vs. steel tube from debate, the monocoque, I think is lighter.
If you look at the specs of the GTS vs same year BV, the GTS is about 30# lighter, IIRC
Now, that might be due to the larger wheels and tires on the BV, I dunno, but, the monocoque certainly isn't heavier.

As stormrider points out, remove the ICE engine, plus it's airbox and fuel tank, there is a LOT of room under and on either side of the pet carrier for batteries. Just looking at the volume of the battery in my EV converted PX, which provides 33 miles of range at 40-45 MPH average, triple that volume would easily fit in the space available in the existing GTS body.

If they design a monocoque chassis specifically with batteries in mind, they could put much of this weight down low in the floor, and free up even more space under the seat for a larger pet carrier space, and make it even more useful!

Creating Hydrogen actually puts more carbon into the atmosphere then refining Crude Oil.

It has to be stored and transported in a liquid state which means even more power is consumed.

You can transport it as a gas but it takes up far more volume so freezing it to a liquid makes more sense.

In this case Electric is better even if the range and speed are somewhat limited.

I think that the reason that Vespa/Piaggio didn't put up more of a show was because they didn't feel they had to.

Not if you do it correctly.

New plant in Australia https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100685770

What about burning the two? What one puts more carbon into the atmosphere when you do that?

I have no idea. Let me just consult I'mright.com

I'll be interested to see how that plant works out and I believe that JCB have committed to making and distributing Hydrogen which hints at them switching from Diesel to H2.

My Chemistry was never that good but I know that it boils at around - 252 Degrees Centigrade and to keep it there pressures of 5000 to 10,000psi ( 350 to 700 bar ) are used when storing it.

If they can find a way of storing it safely in tanks small enough for cars and motorcycles I think that we're on to a winner.

A lot of the byproduct of burning hydrogen ends up in oceans and rivers. How terrible is that?

Not as terrible as it getting into the atmosphere

Heaven forbid.