Plug-In Forum

Although the company has not committed to a formal timeline, Piaggio Group Americas’ CEO has suggested in interviews that this highway-legal scooter is expected to be on the road relatively soon.

The new plug-in will be a modified version of the company’s Piaggio’s MP3 500. According to CEO Paul Timoni, the plug-in scooter will get up to 140 mpg, have an all-electric range of 40 miles per charge , and will be priced between $8000 and $9000.  There is also a  European version slated to be released later this year.

The design will utilize a 125cc combustion engine combined with an electric motor, and can be expected to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds.  The batery can also be charged on the go through regenerative braking.

The release date of Piaggio’s hybrid scooter would put it ahead of GM’s Chevy Volt by a couple months,  and it might coincide with the release of Toyota’s upcoming plug-in hybrid.

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