There are a number of people out there with the same great idea. That is to take the beautiful classic Vespa body, and marry it with a sweet new electric motor. One of the first to do this was friend of the site, Jeb, at Soundspeed Scooters in Seattle. Now I just found another person working on this, in the UK, I think. This build is very tidy I'm curious to see how fast he gets it going, and how long the battery lasts. Here's another interesting conversion. Honestly, it is just a matter of time before there are a lot of mail-order bolt on kits like this.
For the non-wrench, I just read that LML in India (maker of the Stella in the US) is working on an electric "Vespa PX" bodied scooter. The pictures of the LML prototype make the motor look a bit hokey, and like an afterthought. Nevertheless, this is one to keep your eyes on. LML have a four stroke motor in the PX frame that will be for sale in the US soon. I would not count them out for creating a mass-market electric.
I actually rode one of these conversions a few years ago. It was a Vespa Super that was converted by a guy in the San Francisco area who worked for Tesla Motors. It was set more for
At some point in the future when all the Vespa LX's and MP3's and Honda Elites are long gone... we'll still be riding our classic Vespas. Maybe not with the lovely ting-ting of the two stroke motor sounding in our ears... but I'll take an electric whoosh as an alternative to scrapping my scoot when all the gas is gone!