Tag Archives: EBretta

EBretta – an Electric Future for your Classic Scoot!

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I last wrote about the EBretta – an electric conversion for your classic Lammie – way back in 2013. Since then, things have move on – with Pat at the Siagon Scooter Centre (SSC) continuing the development of the classic E-Conversions and also developing a new range of Buzz EScooters.

For the classics what they have been aiming for is a complete bolt-in kit – with NO frame modifications required. The bolt in kits proved a big challenge – but, of course these days with the spiralling prices and users wanting to keep their classics original – offering a “reversible” kit for daily commuting etc, with the option to convert the it back to the original engine – either for touring, or just ‘originality’ provides the best of both worlds.

An electric Lambretta enables drivers to still drive in cities like Milan (of all places!) which have pretty much banned 2 strokes (except for weekends). With many other cities following these restrictions and this is only going to accelerate over the coming years.

Tino Saachi is one of our first appointed distributors; you can find some of his test videos on our SSC FB Buy and Sell page.

The latest version of the kit (specs below) uses the existing tank/filter area for the clamp-on battery tray. The lower junction box again clamps on – and houses all the electrics. With the kit SSC supply a 12″ Brushless hub motor, controller and 72v 3000w Lithium ion battery kit as standard. Other parts – like the modified rear mudguard – bolt onto the existing chassis mounts.

The new kits are now offering a good range and great performance on 1 charge which until recently with the older battery technology wasn’t anywhere near possible.

SSC Trademarks for both EBretta and VTronic. We currently have international distributors for the new kits in the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Belgium, the USA and New Zealand with Australia and Japan pending. 

As well as the kite, SSC are still offering complete fully restored italian Lambretta’s with e-conversions

Current EBretta specs are:

  • 12″ 72v 3000w brushless hub motor including DC 72-12v converter Controller unit 
  • Rear tyre Dunlop 90/90/12 fitted
  • 72v Lithium Ion phosphate 30amh battery unit (Removable with quick release connectors) 
  • 2 x Battery straps
  • Mild steel powder coated Battery base plate which bolts to the central tubing
  • Mild steel junction box and storage box , this bolts to below the central tubing
  • Rear mudguard steel powder coated , we supply this as it needs to be trimmed slightly to give better clearance with the increased wheel size. Bolts in to the existing mounting points
  • Complete swing arm assembly powder coated. The original Lambretta rear shocker can be retained. 
  • Rear disc brake kit complete. This is semi-hydraulic – so the existing rear brake pedal and even the cable can be retained.
  • Throttle actuator assembly using the original throttle cable. No modifications to the handlebar assembly are required. 
  • Wiring loom adapter cable complete 12v Horn, switch and wiring extension
  • External charging plug supplied with fuel flap fabricated also to fit a battery level monitor
  • Ignition switch supplied for those Lambretta’s that are currently not fitted with one i.e. pre “61 models. For our series 1 sample this was installed in the legshield toolbox. 
  • Custom “EBretta” badge

Performance:

  • Range 90-100km’s depending on driver and driving conditions.
  • Charge time 5-6 hours.
  • Top speed 80-90kmph with settings on maximum RPM. 

What about the Vespas?

SSC’s latest VTronic Vespa large frame kit is under testing now – but it has been much more difficult to incorporate a decent size battery due to the bodywork design. They’re still working on 3 options for this either to reduce the battery size down to a 27amh battery which means they can install a drop in single Lithium Ion battery in the fuel tank area or refabricate the inner tank area wider to offer multiple linked batteries.

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LamSport 125 – “New Lambretta” with NO Lambretta DNA.

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The “New Lambretta” saga rumbles on. Most readers of this site, I suspect, will not be particularly interested, having not taken the 2011 Lambretta LN to their hearts. Which is a shame, because, IMHO, although clearly not a classic Lambretta, it paid homage to the lines and spirit of the marque, and had a little Lambretta DNA in it’s blood. Now we have a “New Lambretta” The LamSport.

The new machine, despite being designed by the same Alessandro Tartarini behind the LN design, and who’s radical designs for the range of Caterham Motorcycles I was a big fan of, disappoints me on every level. It’s just an ok looking modern sports style scooter.  With a Lambretta badge on it.
The LN was a decent stab at reinventing a classic machine for the twenty-first century. This is badge engineering at it’s worst. The old Lambretta Motorcycles website from Motom is now down, and I suspect that that is the end of Lambretta LN, which will become an interesting side note to Lambretta history. UPDATE: Further research has found that the LN is still linked to on the Vinh Phat Group website here – so it appears to be in production alongside the the LamSport. And in twenty or thirty years time, when the LamSport is all but forgotten about there will be one or two LN’s left, commanding big prices amongst the  Lambretta collectors and completists. A real shame.6_esterno
The LamSport is being assembled and distributed by the Vinh Phat Group in Vietnam, who launched the new model in Hanoi last week. I’m sure it will do very well in the home market, at least. As far as I’m concerned, if you want a ‘modern Lambretta’ and you are in Hanoi, you would be better off with an Ebretta.EbrettaI’m sorry, I’m not going to write about this any more. This upsets me. If you want to find out more, The excellent ScooterNova blog is a good source. But don’t expect to find any more posts on the LamSport on this blog.

UPDATE: My sources tell me that it may not quite be the end of the road for the Lambretta LN, which is good news. I find myself, as a rider of an Innocenti 1960 LI150 Series 2, in the unlikely position of flag waver for the LN, but it is, from all accounts, a good, reliable and stylish modern scooter, and it definitely has my old S2 in it’s family tree. Stay tuned, for more Lambretta LN info, and nothing more about the LamSport!

Ebretta Mk2

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EbrettaI first wrote about the Ebretta back in May 2012… a classic Lambretta with an electric power train. Well, now Siagon Scooter Centre, the guys behind the Ebretta and the Vespa Styled version the Vtronic have released  a Mk2 version. On the surface, not a lot has changed, and that’s a good thing. It still looks like a classic lammy. But under the skin, there are numerous improvements. The battery system now includes an integrated PMC, and the cells are smaller and more powerful. There’s a new SevCon digital display unit, and a DC converter so that standard lighting can be used… although LED lighting comes as part of the package.

It’s nice to see a project as visionary as this is still being pursued and developed. And that a company realises there is a market for classic scooter looks with state of the art internals. Of course, if an electric scoot doesn’t float your boat, you could have a look at the Scomadi.

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As before, for more information, contact the Siagon Scooter Centre.

EBretta – An update

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Right, I’ve found out a little bit more about the EBretta, the Electric powered Lambretta straight out of Ho Chi Minh City (See my previous post) . It is a fully operational prototype that has been developed and tested, so it IS real world, real technology, and it actually works. Even more exciting than that, a Mk 2 production version is currently under development.

The power is supplied by a brushless 13″ motor which generates 3kW. This will generate a torque of 180 Nm, which translates to a top speed of over 60 kmph (roughly 40 mph). While this might, at first seem less than impressive it would be fine for around town and commuting, with the engine having enough torque to accelerate uphill and carry a ‘larger person’ – I think I might qualify for that last category!

The Mk1 Version has a total of 16 , Lithium Iron Phosphate battery cells.  Lithium Iron Phosphate battery cells are lighter and hold more charge than traditional lead acid or silicone batteries, and are safer than lithium ion batteries. The batteries are protected by a top of the range controller unit and a Battery Management System that monitors battery levels and prevents over charging. The charge time is approx. 3 hours, and the run time, which will vary due to driving conditions, “easily exceeds” 40 km.

The figures above are all for the Mk1 EBretta, and, as I said,  there is a Mk2 under development. The technology is moving fast in the world of electric vehicles, and the Mk 2 will use tech that wasn’t even around 12 months ago, including Sevcon digital displays and battery management systems that are built in to the batteries rather than separate units. Smaller, higher performance battery units are in the pipeline, although at the moment the cost of these is prohibitive, as the technologies mature this should come down.

They’re even looking at adding accessories that will charge your laptop, tablet or phone as you drive. I wonder what’s next… an iPad integrated into your toolbox door?

So, what’s the verdict?

I think the guys at Saigon Scooter Centre have given us a glimpse of the future. I expect building a modern, electric engine into a classic scooter frame has presented them with more than few issues, but the finished result looks amazing. Performance wise, this is never going to be a machine for speed merchants, or one to take on a long distance rally… But that’s not what it’s been built for. For a daily commuter, or a round town runabout this would be ideal. And with most of the running problems of a ‘traditional’ Lambretta coming down to fuel or electrics, it takes one of those items out of the equation. And I’ve got this far without even mentioning the fuel saving benefits… imagine getting home from work and just plugging your Lambretta* in for three hours. Never buy another litre of petrol or 2stroke oil again!

Would I have one? Hell yeah. Although I would probably have to fit an MP3 player and speakers to blast out the traditional Lambretta exhaust note, and carry a small aerosol of “eau de 2stroke” to spray into the air occasionally. I’d love to know what YOU think though… let me know in the comments (I’m afraid you have to register for a Posterous account, but hey, that’s FREE, and they don’t bother you with loads of emails… and you might even want to start your own blog!)

Look out for reviews and reports in the scooter press soon. If you’ve got any questions let me know and I’ll try and find out, or you can contact the Siagon Scooter Centre directly.

Find out more at the Saigon Scooter Centre website or Facebook page.

They’re taking orders now!

*SSC is marketing the EBretta as a “Lambretta replica” no doubt so there are no licensing issues with the owners of the Lambretta trademark.

EBretta – An update

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Right, I’ve found out a little bit more about the EBretta. It is a fully operational prototype that has been developed and tested, so it IS real world, real technology, and it actually works. Even more exciting than that, a Mk 2 production version is currently under development.

The power is supplied by a brushless 13″ motor which generates 3kW. This will generate a torque of 180 Nm, which translates to a top speed of over 60 kmph (roughly 40 mph). While this might, at first seem less than impressive it would be fine for around town and commuting, with the engine having enough torque to accelerate uphill and carry a ‘larger person’ – I think I might qualify for that last category!

The Mk1 Version has a total of 16 , Lithium Iron Phosphate battery cells.  Lithium Iron Phosphate battery cells are lighter and hold more charge than traditional lead acid or silicone batteries, and are safer than lithium ion batteries. The batteries are protected by a top of the range controller unit and a Battery Management System that monitors battery levels and prevents over charging. The charge time is approx. 3 hours, and the run time, which will vary due to driving conditions, “easily exceeds” 40 km.

The figures above are all for the Mk1 EBretta, and, as I said,  there is a Mk2 under development. The technology is moving fast in the world of electric vehicles, and the Mk 2 will use tech that wasn’t even around 12 months ago, including Sevcon digital displays and battery management systems that are built in to the batteries rather than separate units. Smaller, higher performance battery units are in the pipeline, although at the moment the cost of these is prohibitive, as the technologies mature this should come down.

So, what’s the verdict?

I think the guys at Saigon Scooter Centre have given us a glimpse of the future. I expect building a modern, electric engine into a classic scooter frame has presented them with more than few issues, but the finished result looks amazing. Performance wise, this is never going to be a machine for speed merchants, or one to take on a long distance rally… But that’s not what it’s been built for. For a daily commuter, or a round town runabout this would be ideal. And with most of the running problems of a ‘traditional’ Lambretta coming down to fuel or electrics, it takes one of those items out of the equation.Would I have one? Hell yeah. Although I would probably have to fit an MP3 player and speakers to blast out the traditional Lambretta exhaust note, and carry a small aerosol of “eau de 2stroke” to spray into the air occasionally.

Find out more at the Saigon Scooter Centre website or Facebook page