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Piaggio Hybrid Scooter to Reach Mass-Production

In case you think MP3 is just an audio format, you should think twice before saying it because it may soon represent the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid. In short terms, Piaggio unveiled at the international motorcycle show in Milan, Italy a brand new hybrid scooter which may reach mass-production as soon as January, according to a report provided by Wired. The scooter can be recharged from a regular wall socket in as much as three hours, being able to run up to 20 km in fully electric mode.

MP3 supports four operating modes, as it follows: full electric, which obviously works independently of the combustion engine, plus three hybrid options to maximize performance, maximize fuel economy or quickly recharge batteries. And because we were talking about batteries, it's worth mentioning that they can be easily recharged though an advanced regenerative braking system restoring the batteries while braking.

The fuel consumption is extremely low, with an estimated 1.67 liters per 100 km, which means it can run approximately 60 kilometers with a single liter of gas. What's interesting is that even if manufacturers were especially focused on fuel economy, they did not neglect performances either, with an estimated 0 to 100 km/h acceleration done in no less than 5 seconds.

“Piaggio says the MP3 Hybrid emits 40 grams of carbon per kilometer,” Wired wrote in the report which does nothing more than to confirm the Piaggio engineers aimed to design a revolutionary scooter providing high-performance combined with very low fuel consumption and reduced emissions.

Unfortunately, there's no word on its pricing yet, but in case parent company Vespa decides to bring MP3 into mass-production as soon as January, it may represent the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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