About The Electric Vespa Scooter

Last updated 03. February 2020

Driving a Vespa, with the wind hitting your helmet and your hair making waves behind you, offers a sense of absolute freedom; it takes you straight to the Italian countryside, and you can almost feel the sun against your face and the scent of fresh grass and soil.

It is an experience unlike most others and being on a Vespa makes it possible for you to quickly get from one point to another, without having to spend all your money on gas. Vespa electric scooters have been around since the late 1940s, and they continue to leave their impressive mark on the world of moto transportation.

Introducing the Vespa Scooter

The electric Vespa scooter is a uniquely designed scooter that is immensely popular throughout the world, and it is used by both young people and those who are older to get to where they want to go with speed, elegance and low fuel costs.

It has its origins in Italy, where its founder – upon seeing the prototype for the first time – thought the scooter looked like a wasp (Vespa) with its thick back, slim middle and front with a steering wheel that looked like antennas. This was how the Vespa Scooter got its name and little did they know back then what a massive success their new invention was later to become.

A Vespa scooter requires very little physical effort from its driver, which makes it suitable for drivers all ages and with varying physical capacities, and it is for many a perfect alternative to driving a car or biking.

An electric scooter Vespa looks good when you are riding it, it won’t burn a hole in your wallet when fueling up and you can easily navigate it also on narrower streets with reduced driving space. It is a powerful vehicle, despite its size, and often associated with drives along tranquil Italian country roads.

Product History

It was at a Golf Club in Rome, in 1946, that the general public first heard the news of the Vespa scooter. The Vespa electric scooter price was 55.000 Italian lire (approximately $32) at the time, which may seem like a very small amount, but keep in mind that it was the 1940s.

It became an instant success, and one year later, in 1947, approximately 2,500 Vespas were sold, and by 1950 this number had gone up to an impressive 60,000 Vespas sold in only a year.

Enrico Piaggio is the name you will hear in relation to the creation of this practical motor-driven vehicle, and he is considered the man behind the Vespa electric scooters for adults and older teens.

Today, the company manufacturing the scooter is called Piaggio & Company, they consist of 7 smaller companies, and their production and success show no signs of slowing down.

The Modern Vespa

Light Color Vespa Scooter

In 2016, the Vespa scooter celebrated its seventieth anniversary, and it is impressive to think for how long these sleek and elegant Vespa electric scooters have dominated the roads in its native country Italy, as well as other countries in both Europe and worldwide.

A special and modernized version of the original scooter from 1946 was created and sold for the brand’s anniversary, to remind loyal users of what the Vespa scooter once was. They went back to their roots, while still continuing to sell all their high-end and exclusive product varieties.

3 Vespa Facts You Didn’t Know

You have probably seen electric Vespa scooters go past you on the road quite a few times in your life, but have you ever stopped to think about what they are, what they do and who can benefit from owning one?

All that is quite straight forward, but the Vespa might still have an ace or two up its sleeve. Here are three random yet fascinating facts about Vespa electric scooter for adults, which you might never have heard before!

+ Owes part of its success to Hollywood. There was no doubt about the Vespa Scooter becoming instantly popular among people who were lucky enough to get in touch with it, but it received its big break possibly thanks to exposure in movies like Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita, where big movie stars like Audrey Hepburn and Swedish Anita Ekberg road around Italy on these now much-beloved vehicles.

+ The United Kingdom loves its Vespas. Topped only by the Vespa’s country of origin – Italia – the U.K has the second-largest Vespa scooter electric market, with thousands of Vespas being purchased every year.

It is considered a hip way of moving around the city, and celebrities like entertainment judge Simon Cowell frequently use Vespas for transport instead of a car or other transportation means.

+ An idea that sprung from the hate of motorcycles. A surprising fact is that the person who originally designed the Vespa – Enrico Piaggio – reportedly had a strong dislike for motorcycles. This seems odd considering he invented something very similar, but the Vespa was actually meant to be a protest to everything he didn’t like about a conventional motorcycle.

The Piaggio electric scooter – the Vespa – was made less noisy, with no visible engine and with space also for a woman in a skirt to ride. He wanted it to look cleaner and slightly classier than the motorcycles of his time, and, judging by the Vespa’s success, it appears he succeeded.

Speed & Product Specifications

So, how fast do Vespas go? The Vespa scooter top speed will usually be somewhere between 35-40mph, but it can vary depending on the size and weight of the rider, and weather conditions and terrain.

Take all this into consideration whenever you ride a Vespa electric bike, and when shopping for your next scooter.

Depending on the model, a Piaggio Vespa usually holds around 350lbs (158 kilos), and this includes the weight of both the riders and any equipment or items that may have been brought along for the ride.

It also includes the weight of a potential passenger, making it something you need to take into consideration when offering someone a ride on your new Vespa electric moped.

Who Can Benefit from a Vespa Scooter?

Each country has its own rules for how old you must be before you are legally allowed to drive a Vespa, but other than that – it is suitable for anyone! An older teenager (depending on the existing age rules) or a young adult might benefit from having a Vespa to get to school, a busy parent might save money on gasoline when using a Vespa instead of a car, and grandma could get her mobility back when zooming around on wheels whenever she wants to go out.

It is a vehicle designed to suit anyone who wishes to use it, which has likely contributed to its popularity.

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Final Words

Owning a Vespa is in many ways a lifestyle and something you might need to try before you can fully comprehend the charm of it. It goes beyond being a simple mean of transportation, with there now having been established Vespa communities in several parts of the world since the 1950s.

The Vespa Scooter allows you to move from point A and to point B with style, and it is likely to continue to do so for many years to come.

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