Several years ago, the Piaggio Group got right on board the EV train, offering up the Vespa Elettrica to satisfy a growing need in the international scooter market. And it's a nice-looking scooter, no question; full of the kind of styling that fans of modern Vespas already know and love.
But that's the key, isn't it? Modern Vespas, though they do have their own appeal, just aren't the same as vintage Vespas. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it.
And it's not just a longing for two-strokes, in most cases. It's a style, an aesthetic appeal. While the family resemblance in the modern era is unmistakable, it's just not the same. Just like all your fancy SMEG kitchen appliances get the styling cues from vintage fridges and toasters, but are quantifiably not those things.
We've talked about Indonesia's ambitious plans to electrify a huge swathe of its majority two-wheeler traffic. Smog is a major and serious problem, so there's a massive push on right now to speed adoption of EVs as quickly as possible. But still, classics are classics for a reason, and that includes the country's millions of vintage Vespas.
Enter a shop called Elder's Elettrico.
With a handful of locations throughout the country, the shop specializes in bringing a slew of vintage Vespas into the 21st century, by means of specialized EV conversion kits. They also offer kits for some other beloved vintage two-wheelers, most notably Honda C70s.
The Vespa kits start at 25,800,000 Indonesian rupiah, which works out to about US $1,530 at the time of writing. If you're more interested in converting your beloved C70, those start at 15,800,000 IDR, which is about US $937.
It's a really cool, interesting option, particularly if you're someone who already has a vintage scooter in your possession that you really love, and that you want to keep riding. Crucially, Elder's recognizes that this isn't the path for everyone, and that some people aren't going to want to take that signature sound and two-stroke buzz away. But choices are important, and the fact that they're offering a plug-and-play option to switch over if you so desire seems really cool and hopeful.
Would you be interested in a kit like this if it was available in your area? Discuss it, or what you'd do instead, in the comments!
