The era of electric mobility continues to progress. Piaggio’s legendary model that has been revolutionizing light commercial mobility for 70 years, and now, it is ready for the future. Piaggio Group presented its first electric vehicle in New Delhi, India – the Piaggio Ape E-City, the full-electric version of its iconic three-wheeler. The vehicle is intended especially for the Indian market.
The tricycle is made for last-mile travel solutions in the Asian country. The exterior is basically the same as the traditional Piaggio Ape, but the interior has important news. Although detailed technical specifications have not been made public, what primarily attracts us is not a number, but its interchangeable battery technology. It allows replacing a discharged battery with a charged one in automated service stations in just a few minutes.
To achieve the viability of the Piaggio Ape E-City, a network of stations will be developed throughout India that will allow users to exchange batteries.
Recently, the Indian government implemented a policy of support for electric mobility, especially focused on 2 and 3 wheel vehicles. Called FAME (Rapid adoption and manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles), it promotes incentives for this type of vehicle by reducing the Goods and Services Tax, a VAT equivalent, from 12% to 5%. India’s electric vehicle market is worth approximately 71 million dollars but is expected to exceed 700 million dollars in 2025.
The Piaggio Ape E-City will be produced at the company’s facilities in Baramati, Maharashtra state, and will be available in India at a price similar to the gas versions.
For now, specifications of the model in terms of power or autonomy per load were not disclosed. However, it promises to be an ideal solution for transport in the city. There is currently no information on the possibility of seeing it in other markets outside India.