New Zapp electric scooter: just 200 pounds, 200 components

Introducing to the media the new i300 electric step-through scooter that promises high-performance urban mobility and attractive ease of ownership, Zapp board member and investor Tony Posawatz said the bike is a premium transportation solution for congested cities, particularly those with looming bans on combustion engines and all vehicle emissions. The scooter's advanced design features removable lithium-ion battery packs, and Posawatz is particularly keen about its comparative engineering simplicity versus today's internal-combustion (IC) rivals. The Zapp i300 has barely more than 200 total components and a curb weight of slightly more than 200 lb (96 kg) with batteries.

Posawatz, recent former CEO of Fisker Automotive and vehicle line executive (VLE) for GM's Chevrolet Volt when it launched in 2010, said United Kingdom-based Zapp has targeted the high end of the powered 2-wheels (P2W) market, focusing first on the huge markets of Thailand and France, where a respective 1.5 million and 250,000 units are sold annually. The Thai P2W market, he said, represents some $4 billion in annual revenue. In addition, “We believe this [electric high-end scooter] will play well in European cities,” he said, where there currently are some 35 million IC-driven P2Ws on the road. Many are in danger of being banned from the very cities in which they have long been viewed as a more efficient and less profligate means of getting around.