Piaggio is working on an e-scooter for the Indian market

20/02/2022 Drive Pilots

Piaggio, a manufacturer of Vespa and Aprilia scooters, sells electric three-wheelers in India and wants to use its learning about battery exchange and portable batteries for its planned India-specific two-wheelers.

Italian automaker Piaggio has been developing electric scooters in the Indian market and wants to do business with its products even after removing subsidies, says a top executive.

Diego Graffi, Managing Director of Piaggio India, told ET that the company wants its electric scooters to have a sustainable business without subsidies.

“We are interested in providing a solution for consumers in the (meaningful) two-wheeler space beyond the impact of subsidies,” Graffi said. “It is true that players who have recently entered this space are receiving volumes based on subsidies.”

According to Grafi, consumers still have some time to choose electric vehicles for practical reasons beyond the benefit of subsidies.

Currently, central and state government subsidies help reduce the cost of electric two-wheelers in the country by up to 40%.

Grafi said the supplier ecosystem in India was not ready to support the massive transition to electric mobility. Despite the technical knowledge in the country, the productivity in the supplier ecosystem is still lacking.

Grafi said Piaggio, which sells electric scooters in Europe, is developing products specifically for India and it will take 18-24 months to enter the market. It focuses on scooters and does not launch electric motorcycles.

“This is something that is specifically addressed to the Indian market,” he said. “We don’t want to enter the market to enter. We have a powertrain based on our specifications. We don’t want to take anything off the shelf. That’s why it takes so long.”

Graffi’s comments come at a time when most traditional two-wheeler manufacturers have already entered the space of Indian electric two-wheelers or are planning to enter the next few months.

According to Grafi, Piaggio’s products are similar to the high-speed electric scooters currently available in the Indian market and are priced accordingly.

Ather 450, Ola Electric S1 and TVS iQube are among the two electric bikes currently sold in the Indian market at Rs 1.15 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.

According to the graphic, Piaggio scooters have all the latest connectivity features.

Sources ET The Economic Times