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Zapp assures ‘superbike-like’ seated electric scooter deliveries by year’s end

The Zapp i300 is a seated electric scooter with some pretty crazy specs. And according to the company, it will be hitting the road by the end of this year.

The British startup Zapp says they’ve entered production on the i300 electric scooter and will start deliveries in Q4 of 2019.

For those keeping score at home, that only leaves them about six weeks to start deliveries. Though for anyone who has been waiting over a year since we first covered the unveiling of the Zapp i300, the scooter is likely to be worth the wait. Not only is the scooter distinctive looking, but it has what the company describes as “superbike-like” performance.

I’m not sure I’d say that the seated electric scooter is quite at superbike level, but its specs are definitely in a different class and were impressive enough to land the Zapp i300 in my industry guidebook Electric Motorcycles 2019.

Zapp i300 specs

The Zap i300 is said to offer an electronically limited top speed of 96 km/h (60 mph), which the seated electric scooter can reach in just 4.9 seconds. That’s thanks to its 14 kW (18.7 hp) mid-drive motor. The motor transfers power to the rear via a carbon fiber-reinforced belt drive, where it generates 587 Nm (431 lb-ft) of torque.

The scooter isn’t built on a standard frame, but instead adopts an aluminum exoskeleton providing its distinctive “Z” shape.

The floorboard of the scooter houses two 1.25 kWh removable batteries. Together they can provide between 60-90 km (37-56 miles) of range in ECO mode.

The company doesn’t provide a range estimate outside of ECO mode, which makes it presumably one of those “if you have to ask… ” questions.

Speaking of if you have to ask, the price of the Zapp i300 electric scooter is a cool €6,300 ($6,900).

The Zapp i300 will join a small but growing cadre of high-speed electric scooters. Scooters like the Silence S01, Super SOCO CPx, Kumpan 1954 Ri Sport (see our review video below), and the BMW C Evolution all approach or exceed the 96 km/h (60 mph) speed of the Zapp i300. They all offer significantly more range as well, which means the Zapp i300 could be banking heavily on its novel design if it hopes to succeed in a growing market.

Fast scooters like the Kumpan 1954 Ri Sport are fun AND useful!

Electrek’s Take

You know what? The design has actually grown on me. I love that single-sided swingarm and I’ve warmed up to the Z-frame.

I still think that the 2.5 kWh of battery isn’t enough for a scooter that can hit such high speeds. I shudder to think of what the range is when you’re blasting around at 60 mph. But I recognize that it’s hard to keep the battery removable AND ramp up the capacity, so compromises need to be made. And I can get on board with that.

The price is also reasonable, in my opinion. Sure, I’d be much happier shaving a thousand or two off the price. But it still costs less than the Vespa Elettrica while maintaining nearly twice the top speed.

And you can’t accuse Zapp of a tired, boring design.

But let’s hear what you think of the Zapp i300 electric scooter. Sound off in the comments below!

via: Newatlas

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Author

Avatar for Micah Toll Micah Toll

Micah Toll is a personal electric vehicle enthusiast, battery nerd, and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling books DIY Lithium Batteries, DIY Solar Power, The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide and The Electric Bike Manifesto.

The e-bikes that make up Micah’s current daily drivers are the $999 Lectric XP 2.0, the $1,095 Ride1Up Roadster V2, the $1,199 Rad Power Bikes RadMission, and the $3,299 Priority Current. But it’s a pretty evolving list these days.

You can send Micah tips at Micah@electrek.co, or find him on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.