Aprilia Could Be Launching An Electric Scooter Soon Called The eSR1

The trend shift towards electric mobility solutions has been quite evident, with more and more manufacturers joining the line-up and going ‘Green’ governments around the world are also encouraging the clean electric mobility solution initiative. Now a motorcycle manufacturer synonymous with performance could be planning to enter the EV space in the near future. Piaggio Group, which owns brands such as Vespa and Aprilia, has recently been found trademarking the name Aprilia "eSR1" which has cause quite a bit of stir in the motorcycling world.

According to a media report, Italian premium motorcycle manufacturer Piaggio has filed patents for a new trademark eSR1 in the European market leading us to believe that the company is planning to bring an electric-powered scooter under the Aprilia brand. While the brand has not officially revealed if it plans to bring an electric scooter the evidence is in the moniker itself. The ‘SR’ marque is used for scooters in the brand’s two-wheeler portfolio and the ‘e’ prefix could be short for electric. The design of the logo is also quite similar to the one’s branded on the ICE powered scooters.

It is also being speculated that Aprilia eSR1 will share its powertrain and technology with other Piaggio group of products, specifically Vespa Elettrica which is already on sale in many international markets. Since it is a common practice by Aprilia to share technologies among its sibling brands this shouldn’t come as a surprise. This means Elettrica’s electric motor and batteries could be repackaged for Aprilia eSR1.

The Vespa Elettrica - From which the eSR1 is expected to borrow its drivetrain from

If eSR1 borrows its powertrain and technology from Vespa, much of its development would already be complete even though the e-scooter hasn’t yet been revealed in flesh. This means that launch of the new Aprilia scooter could be as early as next year for European markets.

In terms of design and styling, the new electric-powered Aprilia could be based on the internal combustion engine-powered Aprilia SR-series scooter which is currently not sold in the Singapore domestic market but is being sold elsewhere in Asia. The powertrain could be borrowed from the Vespa Elettrica which is currently for sale in the international market. 

The Vespa Elettrica is powered by a Piaggio electric brushless motor coupled to a lithium-ion battery and makes use of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to recharge during deceleration. The power unit is rated to generate 4kW of maximum power and 200 Nm of torque at the wheel. The battery pack manufactured by LG Chem is a 4.2 kWh 48V 86 Ah lithium-ion battery that has a life of 1,000 cycles and has the capability of propelling the e-scooter to a top speed of 70 kmph. The battery can be charged using a 220V outlet which takes approximately 4 hours to recharge. 

If the powertrain is employed on the Aprilia eSR1, the brand is likely to tune it for higher performance and offer a sportier experience to the rider. The brand is also likely to bring the electric-powered scooter to the Singapore market and compete with rivals such as the Scorpio X and the recently spied Suzuki Burgman Electric.