Zapp electric scooter – new commuter bike ‘torque of the town’

A British start-up company based at Hethel in Norfolk, the home of Lotus, has thrown its skid-lid into the ring with a brand new commuter ride, the Zapp electric scooter.

Pitched squarely at biking commuters, Zapp Chief Executive Swin Chatsuwan says there is simply nothing else available like it on the market.

He said: “With air quality in our cities worsening and our roads becoming increasingly congested, the world needs new alternatives to urban transport.

“With its revolutionary design, thrilling performance, and clean power source, we believe the i300 is the urban mobility solution people have been looking for.”

Zapp electric scooter

Zapp electric scooter: 0-30 in under 2.4 seconds

The Zapp electric scooter, the i300, has a distinctive look being built on a motorsport-inspired lightweight aluminum exoskeleton.

The light weight, combined with efficient engine and super low profile hydrogen-filled tyres, ensure a swift delivery of engine torque and promise acceleration of 0-30 in under 2.4 seconds.

And, with laptop size rechargeable batteries and rider-selectable regenerative charging, which recharges the battery while you are on the go, the Zapp 300cc-equivalent scooter promises 35 to 40 miles per charge.

The Zapp i300 from Zapp Scooters Limited became available for pre-order on October 31 with the first deliveries to be made around spring 2019.

The bike will be priced from £5,250 (depending on your chosen configuration).

Cheap as chips? You’ll be surprised how cheap it is to insure an electric scooter such as the Zapp electric scooter too.

Zapp electric scooter

The Zapp electric scooter’s vital stats

  • 14kW motor powers the Zapp i300 from 0-30mph in under 2.4 seconds
  • Removable laptop-sized battery packs weigh less than 5kg
  • Zapp i300 with aluminum exoskeleton weighs just 90kg
  • 140/60 ultra low profile nitrogen-filled tyres ensure optimum deployment of torque from standstill
  • Top speed of 60mph
  • The Zap i300 promises 35-40 miles from a single charge

Zapp electric scooter

The benefits of going electric

It’s still early days for machines like the Zapp electric scooter but they are starting to impact on sales. As costs fall and technology improves more electric bikes look set to hit the road.

Apart from reducing noxious emissions and improving the environment there are a number of sound reasons to consider swapping your carbon fuelled bike for an electric alternative:

Performance: Electric bikes have better 0 to 60 acceleration, as they develop full torque immediately, and without a clutch the torque is instantly available. That makes them excellent for the commuter ride.

Maintenance: With only a battery, a motor, and a control box needed to keep you on the move, electric motorcycles and scooters need very little maintenance. As long as you keep your battery charged, you are good to go. There are no mechanical parts to let you down and the new high-tech batteries are extremely reliable and will tolerate a great number of recharges.

Fuel cost: With very few general maintenance costs, electric bikes will save you even more money as it will cost pennies to recharge your battery as opposed to the pounds and pounds needed to fill up with petrol.

Noise: Electric scooters and motorbikes glide almost silently. So silently in fact that initial acceleration without a sound can come as quite a surprise.

Manoeuvrability: Electric scooters and motorbikes are much lighter and far more manoeuvrable than their carbon fuelled counterparts making then even more attractive to ride on the daily commute.

Zapp electric scooter

What else is available on the electric scooter scene?

Compare the Zapp electric scooter with other electric bikes on the market.

 

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August 8, 2023

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