BP, Piaggio target growing e-2-, 3-wheeler market in Europe, India and Asia

Italian two- and three-wheeler major Piaggio is increasing its engagement in electric mobility in a big manner. The Piaggio Group has joined forces with global company BP to develop and roll out a comprehensive set of services for the rapidly growing number of two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles across Europe, India and Asia.

These vehicles – electric motorbikes, motor scooters and compact commercial vehicles – are today the most highly electrified vehicle class globally, with 44% of sales and 25% of the existing global fleet – or around 250 million vehicles – already electric. It has been estimated that by 2040 the proportion of sales of these vehicles that are electric could rise to over 80% and the number of electric two- and three-wheelers globally may have tripled to 750 million.

Bringing together Piaggio’s extensive e-vehicle production operations and infrastructure management capabilities with BP’s expertise and global reach, the companies aim to support the growing adoption of electric two- and three-wheelers globally to help address city congestion and reduce pollution in urban areas.

According to Richard Bartlett, bp’s senior vice-president, Future Mobility & Solutions, “The huge and fast-growing two- and three-wheeler market is already leading the way for electrification and we see great potential for continued growth across both Asia and Europe.

“Working closely with Piaggio Group – a world leader in this market – we will aim to develop and deliver the innovative services that customers will need. This will support the growth of rapid and truly convenient urban mobility using zero tailpipe emission vehicles, enabling reductions in air pollution and helping cities in their efforts to decarbonise.”

"Working together with bp will help us deliver our idea and offer of a mobility revolution," said Michele Colaninno, chief of strategy and product of the Piaggio Group. "To achieve this goal, it is necessary to promote the widespread adoption of electric vehicles such as motorbikes, motor scooters and compact commercial vehicles equipped with battery swap technology or plug-in charging, thus encouraging a more sustainable life-cycle management of batteries and greater respect for the environment. Working with bp is an incredible starting point to enhance our strategy."

BaaS and VaaS in India, Piaggio plugs into Jio-BP
Under their MoU, Piaggio Group and bp, along with affiliate Jio-bp in India, will explore opportunities to work together to offer charging and battery swap stations, as well as developing all-encompassing services such as ‘Battery as a Service’ (BaaS) – leasing, management and recycling of vehicle batteries – and ‘Vehicle as a Service’ (VaaS) – leasing, repair, maintenance and smart energy management of these vehicles. Initial efforts and focus will be on India, where Jio-bp and Piaggio are already engaged in developing electric vehicle solutions. The companies also intend to explore opportunities in broader Asia – in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam – and in Europe.

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