In a bid to help save the environment, many businesses are thinking about how they can contribute to the global effort in curbing the adverse effects of global warming. From the redesigning of classic cars such as the Jaguar XK120 and Ford Bronco, another classic vehicle has been chosen to be remodelled and powered by electricity — the iconic Vespa scooter.

The Vespa was designed by aeronautical engineer, Corradino D’Ascanio, under the company Piaggio and has since sold more than 18 million units across the world. Even non-motorcyclists will know how a Vespa looks and sounds like as it was brought to fame after being featured in the romantic comedy film, Roman Holiday, where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck were seen buzzing through the Eternal City on the famed vehicle.

This new model of Vespa is called ELETTRA and is designed by a Como-based design studio, MA-DE. After successfully reinterpreting the Fiat 126 with an all-electric concept along with some stylistic adjustments without losing the car’s original identity, MA-DE has reimagined the Vespa to be one that is made for our contemporary times.

‘I strongly believe in the movement towards electric mobility. it is only a matter of time, not only for cars but especially for scooters and small tools for urban mobility.’ — Andrea Della Vecchia, Co-founder of MA-DE studio.

The new Vespa ELETTRA features a 7kW electric motor that can achieve a torque of 240nm and reaching a top speed of 95km/h. A single charge of the scooter will allow riders to travel up to 140 kilometres with its 5.6kW/h battery. Another interesting feature of this electric scooter is the use of the mobile phone as an authentication key to unlock the vehicle via an app, and also serves as a dashboard that displays all the navigational data and settings. 

Images courtesy of MA-DE Studio