There is not only the Vespa. Electric two-wheeler Italy is experiencing a great 2018, with a +58% in sales of sustainable motorcycles and scooters in the first quarter, according to data released by ACEM, the European association of motorcycle manufacturers, an industry which is worth 300.000 jobs on the continent and which sees Italy recovering but still behind, in the electricity segment, compared to other countries such as France, market leader, and Spain. In 2017 in Italy, which is the undisputed European leader considering the entire motorcycle market, fewer than 2.500 electric motorcycles, mopeds and quadricycles were sold, compared to around 11 registered in France. But our companies, from Piaggio to the new realities that are emerging, are also focusing strongly on exports, with sales growth especially in the USA, as an affirmation of the made in Italy brand.
THE ELECTRIC VESPA
The flagship of Italian excellence remains the mythical Vespa: from 8 October until November, when large-scale marketing will start, it can be booked online the new electric version launched by Piaggio, the company that built the first model 72 years ago, which over the decades has become an undisputed symbol of Italian style. Tradition and design remain, but are renewed thanks to a fully electric motor, with a continuous power of 2 kW, equal to 2,7 HP, and a peak of 4 kW (5,4 HP), for performance above the traditional fifty and remarkable acceleration. The range is 100 km, and recharging takes place via a cable positioned under the saddle which is also compatible with a normal wall socket, such as the ones we use to charge a mobile phone, as well as with charging stations, which take four hours to do. .
The news, however, does not stop only at the engine. The Vespa Multimedia Platform is the made in Piaggio multimedia system which allows the moped to connect to the smartphone, so as to offer the driver many functions: for example the possibility of answering phone calls with the buttons on the handlebar or using the voice commands of the smartphone to make calls or play music. The new model thus inaugurates the interconnectivity solutions between vehicles and people, developed by Piaggio Fast Forward, the Boston-based department that the company set up to study new AI systems. Vespa Elettrica, which costs 6.000 euros, thus promises to give a further boost to sales, which went well in the last year: 550 vehicles sold and produced, with consolidated net revenues of 1.342,4 million euros and a profit of 20 million, up 2,2%. The first half of 2018 closed with a further increase in sales volumes, by approximately 10% compared to 30 June 2017.
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THE “TESLA OF TWO WHEELS”
Behind the Vespa there is also something else going on, and rigorously with zero emissions. Energica Motor Company, a company from Modena listed on AIM Italia, where it gained 30% in the last year, reaching 5,4 euros per share in July, while today it is worth 3,7, compared to 2,8 in June. The SME, founded in 2014 and renamed the "Tesla of two wheels", aims to expand above all in the markets of Northern Europe and the United States, as well as in the Middle East, where it has reached an agreement with R&O Trading Company, an importer for the of the Gulf. Energica Motor Company has a glorious history behind it, that of Crp, a company born more than 45 years ago in the so-called "Italian motor valley of the Modena area" and supplier of most of the F1 car manufacturers. In this case, therefore, we are talking about motion: Echo energy ed Energetic Eva are among the company's luckiest models, capable of reaching a power of 107kmW e a speed of 240 km/h. In the first half of 2018, the growth in turnover was five times higher than in the first half of 2017.
THE NEW ITALIAN ICONAnother company that is carving out an important space for itself within the electric moped segment is based in Brescia and is called MeGroup: a young company, born in 2013 from a shared effort between three expert companies. First of all, Scalvenzi Società Cooperativa, leader in the production of waste compaction systems. Then Rossa, a communication agency, specialized in strategies and design for companies in the industrial and manufacturing sector. And finally Vehicle Engineering&Design, a company that operates in the automotive sector (with clients such as Alfa Romeo, Opel and Fiat). The three companies have combined their skills to create the first electric scooter made of sheet molding compound, i.e. a composite of resins reinforced with glass fibers that make the frame resistant, elastic and light. To bring its prototype to the market, MeGroup has created a successful crowdfunding campaign, nearly 300 thousand euros. The campaign has increased the company's visibility, to such an extent that even the BBC has indicated it as "the new Italian icon after the Vespa", due to the original design with which it was created. The MeGroup electric scooter can accumulate 21,6 kWh of electricity and guarantees 80 km of autonomy, with eight hours for a full recharge.
GIVE IT APPLIANCES FOR MOBILITY
Finally, there is a bet on electric mobility Askoll, a Vicenza-based holding company which has specialized in the production of electric motors since 1978. A company boasting over 800 patents, 11 operating companies worldwide, a turnover of 300 million thanks to customers such as Siemens, Bosch, Electrolux, Panasonic. Specialized in the household appliances segment, Elio Marioni's company created a startup in 2015, Askoll Eva, oriented towards the production of electric scooters and pedal assisted bikes. Its eS2 model enjoyed great luck: equipped with two lithium-ion batteries, it can be recharged from any electrical outlet in about three hours and can reach a maximum speed of 45km/h. In three years, the startup has achieved important milestones: 130 single-brand stores and retailers, points of sale in France and distribution in the Iberian peninsula, in Northern and Eastern Europe. Last July it was listed on the Stock Exchange (AIM segment), following a placement of 3.443.500 shares, for a total value of 12,05 million. Today the share is worth around 3,4 euros, but during the summer it came to touch 5 euros. With the IPO, the company aims, once again, to expand not only in Italy but in the United States, especially in the San Francisco area.
