The i300 drives up to 100 km/h and has a range of 60 km – special features include the deep battery position and the removable batteries
There are now many electric scooters, but few have such a futuristic look as the i300 from the British startup company Zapp. A Carbon Launch Edition will be launched to mark the start of the new model.
The Zapp i300 was introduced last summer. One of the special features is the free-floating seat. The construction is made possible by an exoskeleton that carries the seat and the rear wheel fork.
In addition, the battery, which weighs only six kilos, can be easily removed and charged in the apartment. The battery should be able to charge from 20 to 80 percent in 40 minutes. The battery is under the floor. Firstly, this lowers the center of gravity and secondly, the space under the seat can be used for a luggage compartment. Two such batteries are supplied with the scooter. The total storage capacity is 1.44 kWh, which should be enough for 60 km.
The permanent magnet synchronous motor (PSM) has a peak power of 14 kW. The power is transmitted to the rear wheel via a carbon belt. This means that the sprint to 50 km/h takes about 2.3 seconds, and acceleration to the top speed of 100 km/h takes 5.0 seconds.
As competitors, Zapp names the Vespa Elettrica (report at Motor1), the BMW CE 04, the Gogoro Supersports, the Niu NQiGT/S, the LiveWire DelMar and the Silence SO2. According to a table by Zapp, these rivals all take longer to sprint.
The i300 Carbon Launch Edition features carbon fenders, diamond cut wheels, a red rear spring and a plaque with the company founder’s signature. Only 1,000 copies will be built. According to the Zapp website, the price is 9,490 euros. The cheapest model in the series, the i300 Ocean, is said to be available for 6,900 euros. You can now already configure and reserve the i300.
A first Zapp branch was also opened in Paris; more are to follow. There you can find out more about the i300 from Zapp experts, test it and order it. Alternatively, you can order the scooter on the website. The i300 is to be delivered directly to the customer’s front door, by van. Maintenance is to be carried out in a similar way in a workshop vehicle. Zapp is targeting France, Italy and Spain as the first markets, but you can also reserve the scooter in Germany.
The investor report says “We are SOP ready”, so you are ready for series production. For production, Zapp cooperates with the Thai company Summit Auto Group (company website). A pilot production started already in 2022; the scooter is made by hand by 14 workers. For the current year, Zapp states a production capacity of 10,000 pieces, in 2024 this should increase to 100,000 pieces and then year after year to 200,000 and 300,000 pieces. For the future, Zapp is planning cheaper and less sporty models, including an i125 with 7 kW drive power and an i100 with 4 kW, which should be available from 4,500 euros.
Apparently, what keeps Zapp from serial production is money. In order to raise capital, Zapp appears to be planning to merge with a publicly traded shell company called CIIG Capital Partners II. That company appears to have $294 million in cash on hand. 274 million of which will probably go to Zapp. This should make it possible to start series production. The merger is expected to be completed in the first half of 2023.
