When I think of Rome, I think about Audrey Hepburn scooting around on a Vespa.

Fun fact – the scooter featured in Roman Holiday was the third Vespa ever made by Piaggio, and the oldest remaining Vespa in the world.

The Italian manufacturer has come a long way since then, and are now setting their sights on a more environmentally conscious model.

“The Vespa Elettrica, which has been in the pipeline for a while now, goes into production next month”, reports Highsnobiety.

Unfortunately, the scooter, which will go on sale for Europeans in October, and the United States and Asia in early 2019, won’t make its way to South African shores just yet.

That doesn’t mean we can’t take a look and plan ahead, though:

The bike has a maximum range of 62 miles and can be charged in four hours. Vespa claims its performance outstrips a standard 50cc scooter. If you maintain four-hour sessions every time you recharge the bike, it’s expected that the battery will last 1,000 charge cycles — approximately 10 years of use — before capacity degrades to 80 percent. Although no top speed is confirmed, you can preserve the Elettrica’s battery life by switching to Eco mode, which limits your speed to 19mph.

The scooter runs silently and has a range of cool features, including AI functions like pedestrian and vehicle detection, as well as alternative route planning when traffic is bad.

A hybrid version dubbed the Elettrica X is also in the works, with a greater total range of 124 miles but a shorter battery life, with power for 31 miles offset by a gas-powered generator that kicks in when battery levels get low.

The electric scooter adds another level of awesome to an already great way to get around.

Vespas are light on petrol, which is good news if the petrol price hikes are keeping you up at night. Also, anyone who has had to navigate Cape Town traffic, or find parking in the CBD (or anywhere really), can tell you about the benefits of smaller, elegant transport.

If you don’t believe me, ask Seth, who has shared his views on the fiasco that is Constantia Village’s parking.

You can also ask Seth to set you up with a sweet deal on a Vespa. Email editor@2oceansvibe.com and get one step closer to having a Vespa delivered to your front door.

[source:highsnobiety]