The two-wheel vehicle is named E-Scooter, which probably demonstrates the automaker’s intentions to enter the motorcycle market. The model weighs in at just 20 kg dry without batteries which power the 350-watt motor.
The E-Scooter has a range of almost 40 km (24.8 miles) and a maximum top speed of 48 km/h (30 mph). The moped is powered by a nickel-metal-hydride battery so small and light that you can remove it from the vehicle and recharge it in your house.
Simon Loasby, VW’s director of design for China, explained that the scooter’s mileage can easily be extended using a lithium ion battery. This solution is available for specific markets and, furthermore, the engine can be replaced with a 700watt motor for more power. Other features can be added to the scooter like the regenerative braking, not included on the original concept, which can also expand the vehicle’s range.
“Our idea was to come up with a solution for affordable mobility in megacities like Shanghai, and to give people who’ve never owned a car a way into the VW brand,” Loasby said.
“The E-Scooter isn’t covered in VW badges, but you know it’s a VW from the shape of the frame, the detailing of the head- and taillight, and the premium quality of the product,” he added.
The German automaker is making a research for the E-Scooter that include several business models which may be available for the market.
The moped could be speed-limited by an electronic key card registration system that would forbid the vehicle to reach top speed when young riders use the two-wheel electric powered scooter.
VW might sell the scooter on the market in the near future as Loasby explains: “There are already 20 million electric scooters a year sold in China.”
“Typically they cost about $500 (EUR345), and they’re quite cheap, disposable things. There’s no reason why we couldn’t fit premium features to one – LED lights, glossy plastics, a nicely trimmed leather seat and a sophisticated trip computer – and still charge less than $1,000 (EUR690) for it,” Loasby concluded.
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