Zapp i300 pricing revealed along with novel £19/week ownership model

Pricing and full spec details have been revealed for the Zapp i300 – a British-designed electric maxi scooter that is built in Thailand and is set to hit UK roads later in 2019.

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The headline figures are a 0-62mph sprint in 4.9 seconds (that’s all it will do, as it’s electronically limited), and a 37-mile range from the two 5kg removable batteries. It’s built at a solar-powered plant, and this is one of the reasons the company are promising “Gen-2 sustainability” for the i300.

Curious scooter-sportsbike design concept

This step-through scoot is built around a Z-shaped frame the firm calls an ‘Exoskeleton’, which we’re told is a patent-pending, copyrighted design. Other features include upside-down forks, four-pot calipers with floating discs, a single-sided swingarm and a gas-filled, pushrod-style rear shock with preload adjustment.

Weighing just 95kg, the 14kW (roughly 19bhp) motor boasts 433ftlb of torque in ‘Zapp’ mode, but there’s no indication how long it’ll be able to provide that amount of twist for.

The batteries take four hours to charge from 0-100%, and 20-80% takes “much less time”, and can be charged using a standard 240-volt domestic plug socket.

Zappers will service your bike at home

There’s a novel ownership programme on offer with the i300, too. It’ll be delivered by a ‘Zapper’ – a specialist on the bike – and this same team will be responsible for annual servicing at your address.

The first 1000 bikes will be in ‘Launch Edition’ specification, which includes an upgrade to diamond-cut wheels, special graphics and a limited-edition plaque. A £500 deposit will secure you an order slot, and deliveries will begin before the end of 2019.

We’re also promised a “market-leading” finance scheme, offering an i300 for £19 per week, though details about exactly what this comprises are thin on the ground at time of publication.

To buy outright, the i300 is on sale with prices starting at £5250. There are personalisation options to choose from, too, including paint colours, graphics for the removable front fender, seating and grip options, a dashcam and security features including GPS tracking.

Keep an eye out for the full MCN Zapp i300 review coming soon.

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New British electric maxi scooter revealed

First published 31/10/18

After teasing us earlier this month, new British electric scooter manufacturer, Zapp, have today unveiled the i300 electric scooter.

Aimed at commuters, Zapp’s new scoot is powered by lightweight lithium-ion batteries and a maintenance-free air-cooled interior permanent electric motor. The batteries are made easy-to-use and can be removed and plugged into any household socket.

i300 electric scooter highlights:

• 14kW motor powers i300 from 0-30mph in under 2.4 seconds
• Weight: 90kg
• Brakes: A 220mm drilled and vented fully floating front disc is mated to a four-piston brake calliper as the power brake, balanced with a 190mm drilled and vented fully floating disc with a one-piston calliper at the rear
• Removable laptop-sized battery packs weigh less than 5kg each for practical charging
• Rider-selectable regenerative braking charges battery on the go

To enable riders to get the best out of this new electric scooter, the i300 also includes the option to select ‘regenerative braking’, which returns energy when the rider shuts the throttle. Zapp hope this braking system will allow the rider to gain extra range for their journeys and increase the longevity of the brakes.

Other features include a 140/60 ultra low-profile nitrogen-filled rear tyre, front brakes feature a cross-drilled vented full-floating disc, four-piston caliper and ABS. There are also progressive-rate gas-filled upside-down front forks with a rear coilover pushrod and mono rear swing arm suspension inspired by superbikes.

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Choose from classic colours to suit you! Which would you choose? #zappscooter #goingplaces #EV #electricscooter

A post shared by Zapp Electric Scooter (@zappscooter) on Oct 31, 2018 at 2:53am PDT

Swin Chatsuwan, Zapp Chief Executive said: “With air quality in 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.

“There are already electric scooters out there, so we only ever intended to bring something highly innovative and hugely desirable to the market. There is nothing like the Zapp i300, either from a design or functionality and practicality perspective. We are very proud of what we have created and think commuters will like it as well.”

Based in Hethel, Norfolk, Zapp designed their new 300cc maxi scooter-rival in the UK, before outsourcing the production to plants overseas. The Zapp i300 is now available to pre-order at www.zappscooter.com.

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