Zapp i300 Electric Scooter Goes On Sale In Europe

The funky looking electric scooter claims to be as powerful as a 300cc scooter

• Claimed 0-70kmph acceleration is 4.1 seconds and top speed is 96kmph!
• It gets two swappable batteries which offer a combined range between 60km and 90km.
• Zapp offers optional luggage bins large enough to carry an extra battery pack.
• Being a performance-oriented scooter, chances of this coming to India are very slim.

Some might argue that the Zapp i300 is too funky looking to be an electric scooter. Some might feel that its minimalistic design makes it difficult to hide an electric motor and battery pack in the bodywork. Zapp has done just that and installed two slim 2.5kWh battery packs in the floorboard. These swappable lithium-ion batteries weigh just 5kg each and offer a combined range of 60km to 90km. Both batteries take around four hours to fully charge. With selectable battery regeneration onboard, it gets an extra 10 to 20 percent boost in range. 

The motor too is hidden between the frame and drives the rear wheel via a carbon fibre belt and pulley system. This interior permanent magnet motor offers 14kW of peak power. Zapp claims the i300 is as powerful as a 300cc scooter and will post some interesting performance times. Claimed 0-50kmph is 2.35 seconds and 0-70kmph is 4.1 seconds. Top speed is electronically restricted to 96kmph. 

Features include LED lighting all around and a high resolution TFT display that shows each battery charge individually. 

The funky frame design is thanks to two machined aluminium beams joined together with chrome moly tubing at the front. Interestingly the floating seat does have space for an extra battery pack. Or you could opt for the storage bin that is deep enough to hold a full-face helmet. The lack of bodywork and light batteries means the Zapp i300 weighs a scant 90kg. 

The Zapp i300 is not just sporty to look at but gets sporty underpinnings as well. It has upside down forks and a monoshock. The scooter sits on fat 14-inch low profile tyres and brakes with the help of discs on both ends and single-channel ABS. 

Prices for the Zapp i300 starts at 6,300 euros which translates to Rs 5.02 lakh. The closest we have to a proper performance scooter is the Ather 450 which retails for Rs 1.18 lakh (on-road, Bangalore).