Zoomi Life

Vespa scooters (and their knockoffs) are extremely popular little machines.  I’m not sure why, since I really don’t like them much, but it appears that their “retro” looks appeal to a lot of people.  Enough people that a company has started taking the noxious 2-stroke engines out of them and converting these scooters into all-electric rides.

Soundspeed Scooters in Seattle has conversion kits for making most Vespa scooters (ET, LX, PX, S, and other models) electric.  The kits include a new swing arm, hub motor, controller kit, and so forth.  The little motor Soundspeed sells has 3,000 watts at 60 volts, which will propel most Vespas to over 35mph.

No batteries are listed, but battery systems are expensive to ship and readily available in most areas, so there probably isn’t a need.  The conversion kits cost around $1,600 plus shipping, depending on your model.  Price doesn’t include any labor and the kits are mainly sold as DIY packs.

So there you go, retro-wannabes and Steampunks!  Your Vespa can go electric.

Sources: Soundspeed Scooters

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/01/21/electric-vespa-conversion-from-soundspeed-scooters/