Aprilia Looks To The Future With The ELECTRICa Project

This supermoto-ish-looking thing is Aprilia‘s “vision of mobility for the youngest riders of the near future.” So, forget Millenials or even Gen Z, this Aprilia ELECTRICa project is aimed at Generation Alpha – a cohort of kids who, at the oldest end of the spectrum, are currently in junior high school.

Aprilia envisions the future as a space of freedom, where remote working is the norm, yet digital interconnectivity remains at an all-time high. The riders of tomorrow will be used to being able to do what they need to do without having to be at an office building for eight hours a day. They’re free to roam and explore and work wherever their environment lets them. But despite this interconnected world, one thing will remain the same: the need to move around. Until teleportation makes this an instantaneous task, riders of tomorrow will need a fun and engaging way to get around congested cities.

The ELECTRICa is the way, at least according to Aprilia. Its minimalist design appeals to the rider of tomorrow who’s agnostic to today’s different riding categories and just wants a motorized two-wheeler to get around. The term motorized is apropos, as you can probably guess what powers something called ELECTRICa – a battery. The Piaggio Group, Aprilia’s parent company, has been working on electric propulsion since 1975, so while you and I might not be used to seeing an electric Aprilia, the technology isn’t new to the brand.

From what we can tell, the battery’s integration into the frame structure indicates it’ll be a modest size. The motor itself looks to be mounted inside of, or is a structural feature of, the swingarm itself. As such, it doesn’t look very big proportionally. Don’t expect massive power numbers. Still, you have an inverted fork, a centrally mounted shock, radial brakes, and minimalist wheels.

Tomorrow’s riders will be accustomed to electric motorcycles, and the ELECTRICa is aiming to be the next transition after a scooter. It even has both brake levers on the handlebars to make the transition simple. Being a prototype, little is actually known about what powers it, but what we do know is the ELECTRICa is making its debut at EICMA today and it could signal the future of our sport.

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