Piaggio 1 test: love at first sight for the 50 cm3 electric scooter?

By werdt22/04/2022644 Views

With the 1, Piaggio is clearly targeting Generation Z, urban teenagers, lovers of tech products, eager for freedom but for whom the noisy and smelly 2-stroke engine is a boomer thing. At first glance, it's a clean design with a few styling touches like LED headlights, naked handlebars and a slender rear loop. A scooter with a lot of plastic but well assembled and which feels solid to the touch. Then there is the techno side. A keyless remote control rather than an archaic key, a beautiful 5.5'' color LCD screen and for 119 euros more, it connects to your smartphone via the Piaggio MIA app.

Under the saddle, the future!

There is a removable 1.4kWh battery under the seat. Easy to remove to charge in 6 hours at home on a 220V socket. And it's more effective than a lock if you leave it on the street. In terms of autonomy, it's like your smartphone: don't forget to charge it in the evening. Piaggio announces 55km in Eco mode, 43km in sport mode. Finally, for the practical aspects, a small box to put a jet helmet, a flat bottom to put your backpack on leaving school, and a USB socket.

On the road

What does it look like on the handlebars? 1 makes no noise! It's very pleasant, but suddenly you have to honk your horn to signal your presence to other users. It's a very smooth scooter, with suspensions that make you forget the cobblestones and swallow the speed bumps without making you bounce. Despite the small 10'' wheels, the handling is good. The Piaggio One weighs only 94kg, it offers a feeling of lightness and agility and will allow you to get out of complicated situations in traffic. The turning radius is so large that you won't dare turn the handlebars all the way. It's the lack of power that's a little frustrating, especially when overtaking. The 1.2kW motor is sluggish when accelerating, suffers a little on the climbs and eventually quietly reaches its maximum speed limited by the clamping to 45km/h. Note, in town where everything is limited to 30km / h, it's already enough to lose points on the license.

Essai Piaggio 1 : coup de foudre pour le scooter 50 cm3 électrique ?

In the end, at 2699 euros, with its network and its know-how, Piaggio offers a sober but quality product and will perhaps finally popularize urban electric mobility.

Info:

The Piaggio 1 is available in 2 other versions.

The 1+ with a 2.3kWh battery for a range of 68km in sport mode and up to 100km in eco mode according to Piaggio. Price: 3099 euros with 100 euros of ecological bonus.

And the Active version, a 125cm3 equivalent, with a 2.3kWh battery for an advertised range of 66 to 85km depending on the mode used. It is limited to 60km/h max. Price: 3299 euros without counting the ecological bonus of 575 euros.