E-scooter offering from Aprilia is expected to share its technologies and mechanicals with Vespa Elletrica
Piaggio has filed a trademark for its upcoming electric scooter from its Aprilia brand. The Italian two-wheeler manufacturer has registered the trademark ‘eSR1’ at European Union Intellectual Property Office. The latter published a trademark application showing the ‘eSR1’ name in stylised font and logo.
However, the applicant’s name hasn’t been revealed yet although it is indicated to be the Piaggio Group. The evidence being the ‘SR’ portion of trademark which resembles the SR logo in Aprilia brand of scooters.
Furthermore, the eSR logo looks straight out of the books for the logo of SR-GP Replica which was revealed last year. The other major hint given is that the trademark has been registered on Piaggio’s behalf by Jacobacci & Partners S.P.A, the firm which handles all intellectual property matters for the Italian brand. Aprilia currently retails the SR range of scooters in 50cc, 125cc, 150cc and 160cc configurations around the world.
Aprilia’s e-Scooter plans
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.
Trademark filings don’t guarantee a production-spec model launch as they don’t reveal if or when a specific model will arrive at markets. In this case, however, chances are pretty high since electric scooters have been in trend and a global brand like Aprilia will surely garner a lot of attention which is likely to translate into a high consumer base.
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.
Vespa Elettrica details
Speaking of specifications, Vespa Elettrica draws its power from a 4kW electric motor paired with a lithium-ion battery pack. Peak torque available at wheels stands at an impressive 200 Nm and provides a range of 100 km in Eco mode and 70 km in Power mode in a single charge. It takes 3.5 hours for the battery to get juiced up using a 220V socket.
Its underpinnings are similar to its petrol-powered counterpart assisted by a trailing link front suspension and single shock absorber at rear. It rolls on 12-inch front and 11-inch rear alloy wheels. The model was showcased at this year’s AutoExpo but there are no signs of its launch in India anytime soon.
