Conversion Candidates
Why are many metal-bodied vintage scooters good EV conversion candidates? Because they look great and are functionally obsolete. If you think about it for a minute…
Generally speaking, vintage scooters with less than 125cc’s have slow acceleration, limited top speed, poor lighting and poor braking characteristics. That doesn’t mean you can’t ride them, but you might want to plan when and where.150cc scooters are borderline; some are ok, especially if they have 10” or larger wheels, “high performance” (for the time) engines and constant 12v lighting. Scooters with larger displacements (160-200+cc’s) are acceptable on local roads but again may suffer from poor lighting and braking. Some scooters with larger displacement engines simply can’t be kept operational due to the lack of spare parts. Of course, many of these scooters have been modified over time to improve their performance and are fine for cruising around or going to a rally. For me, the perfect scooter looks vintage but performs well in a modern environment.
What should you look for in a vintage conversion candidate? The “sweet spot” is 125 cc or less, non-Vespa and non-Lambretta metal scooters. These are the ones taking up space and not being ridden, due to poor performance or lack of parts. I’ve excluded Vespas and Lambrettas from this list because performance-enhancing options are readily available for their internal combustion engines. Because they were the most popular scooters there’s a many around and there are EV kits available. Retrospective Scooters in the UK makes well-designed, high-quality conversion kits that benefit from years of continuous improvement. While they might seem expensive, they are priced realistically relative to the costs of the components and can be installed in a weekend. I’ve also excluded rare or heritage vehicles like Maicolettas and Basterts.
Are you ready to jump in? Here’s my assessment of metal-bodied scooter conversion candidates. Before I selected a Bella I evaluated many scooter models in my search, looked at photos I found on the web, and sized up the conversion potential. Don’t take this as gospel as much as a point in a promising direction.
I’ve explained the columns where needed in notes following the table.
Best Metal Scooters to Convert to EV
| Scooter | Baseline EV Conversion Potential * | EV Kits Available? | Non-EV parts availability | Battery Space | Drivetrain Options | Conversion Effort Level** | Other Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambretta Series I, II and III | Excellent | Yes | Very good | Very Good | Hub motor | Low with kit | Hub motor and battery with custom swingarm. Excellent kits available from retrospectivescooters.com |
| Lambrettas (other) | Ok | Yes | Very good | Small | Hub motor | Low if there’s a kit, high if not | The smaller and older Lambrettas are more complicated due to their smaller size and wheels. Retrospective has a kit on their website. |
| Vespa Large Frame- 10” wheels | Good | Yes | Very good | OK | Hub motor | Low with kit, medium without | Not as good as a Lambretta because the monocoque construction limits battery size. Excellent kits available from retrospectivescooters.com |
| Vespa Large Frame- 8” wheels | Ok to poor | Yes | Very good | OK | Hub motor | High with or without a kit | The issue with these bikes is the 8” front wheel. Most hub motors are 10” or larger and you will probably need to do a front fork replacement (which will open up other ICE performance options for you as well) |
| Vespa Small Frame (10” wheels) | OK | Yes | Very good | Small | Hub motor | Low if there’s a kit, high if not | Another scooter without a lot of space because of the monocoque construction. Battery may need to be mounted outside of the frame (on floorboard like an SS90 spare tire). |
| Heinkel Tourists | Excellent | No | Very good | Ok to Good | Hub | Medium to high | Requires a custom swingarm and standard battery. Battery space is good but not great |
| Zundapp Bella R200-204 | Excellent | No | ok | Excellent | Hub or Midmount | High | Cavernous amounts of battery space and multiple mid-mount of hub motor options. Requires a swingarm and downtube/motor mount replacement setup for battery |
| Harley Topper | Excellent | No | Poor | Good (I think) | Hub or Midmount | High | Another underpowered bike with lots of space for batteries and a hub motor. I haven’t dissected one but I’d strongly consider one if you like the looks. Don’t expect to make many HOG friends by doing a conversion😊 |
| Diana Durkopp | Excellent | No | Poor | Good | Another scooter converted by Retrospective Scooters. They look like good candidates based on the video. | ||
| Fuji Rabbit | Fair | No | Poor | These are well built scooters with air suspension and other advanced features that might present problems for an EV conversion. | |||
| Garelli Capri Scooter | Poor | No | Poor | Poor | Hub | High | There appears to be too much frame componentry in the way to get a decent size battery and electronics mounted |
| Puch SR150A | Excellent | No | Poor | Good | Hub Motor | Medium | They have a great, wide-open setup under the seating area for EV components |
| Maicoletta | Good | No | Ok? | Good | Hub Motor | Medium | They have a large underseat storage area with some intrusions from the frame. There appears to be a lot of space. |
| IWL Berlin/ Troll | Good | No | Good | Good | Hub Motor | Medium | There’s a lot of space under the seats but its not clear if some of the frame is in the way. The chrome exhaust pipe is an important visual component and you would lose that in an EV conversion |
Table explanatory notes:
*Baseline EV Potential: My “excellent” rating would be a scooter with 30+ miles (50+ km) of range, hub or midrange motor and battery packs internal to the design.
** Conversion effort level: Easy means installable from a kit. Medium means swingarm design and fabrication (welding) with a standard, commercially available battery. “High” means extensive modifications required to existing bodywork, and custom shaped battery required.
Battery Space: Relative to a 30 mile (50km) range. Good means the estimated ability to drive 30 miles (50km) with a pack installed in (not on) the bike. Good means more, Poor means less.
Non-EV Parts availability: You’ll need non-EV parts to complete your conversion. How available are the parts you need? “Good” means parts are available from marque-specialist vendors with stores or websites dedicated to the brand. A supply of parts are still being manufactured. Also, an active club or clubs dedicated to the preservation and maintenance of the scooters. “Poor” means eBay, or “I know a guy”😊, or you yourself are the brand specialist.