Are you among those awaiting the Vespa Elettrica India launch? Well, Piaggio has just revealed its mindset about the current Electric Vehicle (EV) scenario in the country, which roughly translates into “Don’t hold your breath”.
Piaggio sells the Vespa Elettrica, an electric scooter, in Europe and even showcased it at the 2020 Auto Expo. The scooter, which has a range of 100 km and is powered by a 4 kW motor, received good response and it looked like Piaggio might launch it in India.
Indeed, Piaggio Vehicles, CEO and MD, Diego Graffi revealed that the firm too felt quite positive about the response they received from dealers and customers with respect to the Vespa Elettrica.
However, there is a problem and that is the level of localisation for electric 2-wheelers in India which is very high, because even the powertrain is still not available in India and naturally, has to be imported.
This, Piaggio feels, would make it infeasible to enter the Indian EV space, especially with a product like the Vespa Elettrica. Add to it the lack of charging infrastructure, poor supply chain and the general high costs associated with the EV project means Vespa Elettrica India launch is not happening any time soon.
However, all hope is not lost as Diego Graffi has also said Piaggio is investigating the possibility of completely localising the Vespa Elettrica’s powertrain in India. The idea is that if the costs are brought down, then the product will be launched in our country.
Having already launched electric passenger three-wheelers in India, Piaggio will be introducing its electric cargo three-wheelers here soon. Thus, the firm’s entry into the Indian electric passenger vehicle space is more than a possibility.
Vespa Elettrica India Launch
- Piaggio is not looking to bring the Vespa Elettrica to India now
- Says low amounts of localisation makes it infeasible to launch it
- But will continue to look at the possibility of EV’s launch
Source – Moneycontrol.com