Retro Thing's April Fool's joke was a post detailing a phoney-baloney Vespa hybrid scooter. cool idea, but, obviously not the real deal. Well, hold on. Now Retro Thing reports that Vespa's parent company, Piaggio, is indeed testing two different prototype HyS hybrid (gasoline/electric) scooters. How's that for life imitating art?
The Vespa LX50 HyS (50cc gas and 1000W electric motor) and Piaggio X8 125 HyS (125cc gas and 2500W electic motor) are based on the Vespa LX 50 and the upscale Piaggio X8 125 models. The combo electric and gas engines provide about 25% more power during acceleration and 20% less emissions. The scooters can charge batteries either from the gas motor or by connecting to a standard 220V (European) outlet. [Retro Thing]
