Bugatti shows off first electric vehicle, but don’t get your hopes up

Bugatti may be working on an electric hypercar, but this isn’t it. The company’s first electric vehicle just rolled out, and it did so on two wheels. That’s because instead of some bleeding-edge car, it’s a basic electric scooter.

To be fair, it’s a pretty slick-looking scooter though.

Bugatti didn’t develop the electric two-wheeler on its own. Instead, it combined forces with Bytech International to develop the electric scooter.

As managing director of Bugatti International Wiebke Stahl explained:

Bugatti is at the pinnacle of automotive excellence. Partnering with a company such as Bytech gives us an opportunity to expand our reach in the electric mobility space with an experienced partner and a product that can be enjoyed by consumers around the world.

The 15.8 kg (35 lb) scooter is constructed of magnesium alloy and described as “aerodynamic yet functional.”

Riders can take the scooter right up to its top speed of 30 km/h (18.6 mph) thanks to its 700W motor. That’s just shy of 1 horsepower. Or to put it another way, around 1,000 hp less than a 1,000 hp Bugatti Veyron.

Of course, Bugatti’s electric scooter wasn’t meant to set track records. It was designed to offer commuter-level performance in a slick-looking package.

And the company seems to have pulled that off nicely.

The sweeping frame is accented by wraparound taillights and even features a projected EB logo behind the scooter as it rides.

Sidelights project downwards from the deck, creating a cloud of light below the scooter as it flies along the road.

Turn signals are included for safety, and there’s a large LED screen that displays the speed, riding mode, battery life, and light status.

With a 36V and 10Ah battery offering 360 Wh of capacity, Bugatti says the scooter should provide up to 35 km (22 miles) of range. A standard wall outlet is all that is needed to recharge the battery in around four hours.

There’s no word yet on when the scooter will be available or what its price will be. But the move isn’t as strange as it might seem at first. Bugatti is far from the only automotive company exploring two-wheeled EVs.

BMW has taken several strolls down the electric two-wheeler road, though not all of them were as impressive.

Porsche has its own line of electric bicycles, and Barcelona-based SEAT partnered with Segway on electric scooters before expanding into Silence’s higher-powered electric scooters.

Rivian is the latest automaker to indicate an interest in electric two-wheelers, though it makes a bit more sense for electric vehicle companies like Rivian to pivot their EV tech into smaller vehicles.

Now if only Tesla would make an electric bike…