Zero LS1: This New All-Electric Urban Scooter Can Take on the Streets at 60 MPH

Zero Motorcycles is a pioneering brand in the all-electric motorcycle world, making interesting new electrified bikes before it was even fashionable, if it ever was. Now the company has Zero LS1, an all-electric scooter, too, and while it’s meant for urban spaces, that doesn’t mean it can’t go fast.

Zero unveiled the LS1 this week in Milan. The standard bike has two swappable batteries, giving it 72 miles of range at city speeds, and an optional third battery can give it up to 106 miles of range. The top speed is 62 mph, which used to be illegal on highways in America. The batteries can be charged to 95 percent in a little over two hours with a 1,500-watt charger, or four-and-a-half hours with an 800-watt charger, designed for home. That juice can be powered up even quicker to 80 percent, taking about three hours using the 800-watt charger and about 90 minutes with the 1,500-watt charger.

Zero says the top sustained speed is 53 mph with the 11-horsepower electric motor, more than enough for city commutes but not intimidating for even the newest rider. The Zero LS1, in other words, is made to be used early and often and marketable in places like Europe, where commuting in a small motorcycle or scooter is common and done by people wearing business formal.

The LS1 is also part of a broader strategy shift at Zero, which started out as a U.S.-based company making its name with slick and powerful electric motorcycles. Now, the brand has shed leaders and employees and is based in the Netherlands, where it is focusing on vehicles like the LS1 that have a better chance of selling to more people.

“The LS1 is designed for the people we see every day in cities like Paris, Milan, or Barcelona,” Pierre-Martin Bos, Zero’s CEO, said in a statement. “It’s simple, stylish, and makes electric riding accessible to a whole new group of riders.”

The Zero LS1 will not be sold in the U.S., where electric vehicles and especially electric motorcycles are not as common as in Europe or Asia. It will cost around €5,200, or around $6,000 at current exchange rates.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.