Scooters will probably be the last thing that comes to mind when talking about MV Agusta, but that’s about to change. At the EICMA in Milan, MV has unveiled the Ampelio, an electric scooter for urban mobility of the future.
What! Have they gone completely crazy at MV Agusta? A scooter, and then also electric. Crazy people, completely off the path, or have they been sucking on the hash pipe too much and too long? We can vividly imagine the reactions, but somehow MV’s choice is not that strange at all.
Did you know that scooters definitely played a very important role at MV Agusta in the gray past? In post-war Italy the scooter market was booming and MV Agusta naturally wanted to benefit from that. In 1949 the CSL 125 was a fact, of the most popular model, the 5 hp 1951 Ovunque 125cc two-stroke, about 10,000 have been sold.
It is therefore not surprising that MV Agusta has not only limited its strategic development plans to high-performance motorcycles, but has also focused on e-mobility with a range of e-bikes and electric scooters. The Ampelio is completely contemporary in terms of looks and equipment, but is inspired by the style of the CGT and Ovunque scooters from the 1950s.
The prototype stems from the creativity of Maksim Ponomarev, the Russian designer who had already prepared a series of sketches with a distinct heritage feel before he was even officially tasked with designing a scooter. Ponomarev had posted his ideas on Behance, a design platform where registered members share their creations. Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta, loved what he saw online and asked Ponomarev to continue on this path.
The project development started more than two years ago, where it was clear from the start that the scooter had to be emission-free. However, MV did not have the know-how in-house, and so the search began for an already established partner in the field of electric scooters that could meet MV Agusta’s quality standards.
After identifying and contacting a selection, the choice fell on the Taiwanese company Kymco, known for the high quality of its products and the ideal partner to develop the Ampelio scooter.
The base of the S7 model, presented at EICMA a year ago, was identified as the ideal structure to meet the various requirements and develop a model that would be launched in a higher segment.
The Kymco product contains a series of elements that are considered fundamental, not least the “adult” dimensions. Other features that convinced MV to go for the S7 are the two 1.7 kWh Ionex batteries, which can also be removed, exchanged and charged at home, as well as a range of more than 85 km.
The electric motor is rated at 4.1 kW, with a maximum peak of 7.2 kW, which MV says is greater than many competing models. MV claims a dry weight of 95 kg, or 121 kg roadworthy with both batteries under the seat. The presence of the batteries does not affect the luggage capacity, which offers space for a flip-up helmet.
The technical information currently provides for two different driving modes, normal and sport, an electric steering lock and the keyless operation of all functions, including seat opening. As for the braking system, the possibility of choosing between combined technology and ABS is being evaluated. The prototype also studies various accessories for urban and commuting, from a top box to a special winter cover.
When classifying the project, we originally considered reusing initials and names from glorious MV Agusta history. It could have been called Normale, or CGT (C-model Gran Turismo), or Ovunque, the scooters to which this concept essentially pays tribute. After throwing out impersonal initials, lacking in personality, and deciding to reject the name Ovunque, nice for us but difficult to pronounce for foreigners, the search turned to a name that started with an A, a letter that stood out on the tail of MV Agusta scooters in the 1950s. In the end, we chose Ampelio, partly because of its reference to Ampere, the unit of measurement of electrical current, but also because of its musicality and ease of pronunciation.
Ampelio has kept many of the characteristic elements of previous models, from ease of use to practicality, without forgetting the aesthetic details. This scooter shows typical Italian attention to shape, detail and elegance. And years later, despite the technologies having revolutionized the 125/150 models of seventy years ago, the Ampelio scooter still has an extremely compact silhouette.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.