The launch of the Aprilia electric scooter will take place in FY24
Piaggio has announced it is developing electric scooters specifically for the Indian market. Yup, Aprilia and Vespa electric scooter models are under development and they will be put on sale here in fiscal year 2024 (FY24).
Managing Director of Piaggio India, Diego Graffi, who revealed that the company will take 18-24 months to launch electric scooters in India, has admitted that the marque has taken more time to bring its electric scooters to the country.
The Italian automaker that already sells electric 3-wheelers in India will focus on selling electric scooters in the market, not motorcycles. The e-scooters, Graffi said, will have the latest connectivity features.
The maker of Aprilia and Vespa scooters will be using its expertise in battery swapping and portable battery technology for its India-specific electric scooters which it says will be on a par with competition (think Ather 450X, Ola S1, etc).
But, the upcoming Aprilia electric scooter and its Vespa cousin will have to be priced well to make their mark in the cost-sensitive Indian market and the Italian firm knows that well.
Graffi says Piaggio is looking at providing customers “a solution in the 2-wheeler space that (makes sense) even beyond the effect of subsidies” and added that current players are “gaining volumes on the base of subsidies.”
While the original ex-showroom price of electric vehicles are high in India, Central and State government subsidies help reduce their cost. Electric 2-wheelers, for example, cost up to 40 percent less after subsidies are applied.
Finally, Piaggio India’s managing director stated that the Union of States currently does not have the supplier ecosystem to support a massive transition to electric mobility.