Two-wheeler Vespa wannabe looks better than it sounds.
Is it a Segway? Is it a Vespa? Actually it’s the Zero Scooter, a clever all-electric vehicle that combines iconic Italian styling with Segway handling and electric power. Form an orderly queue, please.
The Zero Scooter, which is handbuilt in Spain by design studio Bel & Bel, has a top speed of 12.4mph, a range of 19 to 22 miles on a full charge and can carry a 180kg passenger. Up to 30-degree slopes are handled without issue, while two independent 1.34hp motors allow it to turn on the spot.
Bel & Bel claims the self-balancing Zero Scooter is easier to operate than a Segway because it stays stable when you first climb aboard. 10 minutes of practice is reportedly all it takes to learn how to ride it.
The hand-built Zero Electric is pretty expensive compared with a more versatile and practical petrol-powerered scooter, but at €3,000 it competes nicely with the uglier Segway and the uglier still Toyota Winglet, especially when Bel & Bel will let you specify the paintjob and custom graphics.
Bel & Bel is better known for turning old Vespas into office chairs and other pieces of furniture.
Does a spot of Vespa styling turn an otherwise undesirable mode of transport into a desirable one? Let us know.
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