Piaggio MP3 Hybrid scooter test

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Thermal / electric mix for MP3

Fashion is green and electric…. but electricity is not enough for large cities. Suddenly, the thermal / electrical mix becomes a solution. After the car, it was Piaggio who launched the hybrid scooter based on its scooter spearhead: the MP3. Because the success of MP3 comes from its three wheels: a guarantee of stability…. and an undeniable success for the Italian brand despite an additional cost compared to standard two-wheel scooters. No less than 24,000 have been sold in France since their launch! The hybrid therefore takes the basics of an MP3 125 developing 15 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and adding a 2,500 watt electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries …. for a final weight of 245 kilos. Suffice to say that to make everything work, development and research have been pushed far, to the point of costing the group 10 million euros…. an investment which translates into a final price for the consumer of 8,999 euros, or the price of a maxi-scooter! So, really good idea? or too expensive gadget ahead of its time ?

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

Discovery

At first glance, nothing distinguishes the hybrid MP3 from another MP3 125…. apart from a 3D sticker called hybrid on the rear side and a blue and green HyTech logo on the front. You have to get closer to see the details that tickle your ears. A HYTECH button on the handlebars suggests the possibility of choosing a driving mode. An orange indicator in the middle of the handlebars with a power outlet suggests power. But once the ignition is on, it is especially on the dashboard that we see the difference, since the power mode is clearly indicated.

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

In fact, by pressing the mode change (HyTech button on the handlebars, on the right thumb), you can switch from all electric in forward gear (Electric), to all electric in reverse gear (Electric R, practical in town ), in hybrid mode using both gasoline and electric (Hybrid power), and in hybrid charging mode (Hybrid Charge; instead of charging on current, the battery is recharged while driving). A long press then validates the choice.

Suddenly, the battery charge dial also incorporates the fuel gauge: judicious.

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

In the saddle

The saddle is very long and wide, for the rider as well as the passenger. The very upright position is in the standard scooters. The feet on the other hand barely touch the ground for the driver of less than 1.70 m. But even if the feet barely touch, the "locked wheels" position – which can be operated with the handlebars with the right thumb – allows the MP3 to be stable, when stopped, without even touching the ground with the feet. And to restart? The system disengages automatically. As a result, from the stop and the locked position, you can put your feet back on the apron and start without having to dismount. What is also good is that the system works, even with the engine off. As a result, you can move the MP3 practically effortlessly, simply by pushing it, without having to play on the balance..

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

Of course, to block it, we must not forget the hand, manual, and central brake which is very easy to handle..

Contact

The 124cc, 4-stroke, 4-valve, electronic injection, "Ride by Wire" single-cylinder spurts discreetly, but with the engine! Ah, I thought everything was electric when starting ?! Actually no. You have to choose all electric for this to be the case.

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

In the city

Right handle turned, the scooter takes off smoothly. The acceleration appears sharper in the first kilometers per hour than a pure gasoline 125. In fact, the electric motor operates from 0 km / h to around 30 km / h to provide the necessary excess power – if only to compensate for its overweight – but above all to limit particularly high pollutant emissions during the starting phases. . In fact, according to Piaggio, the polluting emissions of Co2 are divided by 2 compared to the gasoline model.

From one traffic light to another, the MP3 therefore moves quietly. You can definitely feel a front fork that’s a little heavier than a classic 125, but what you lose in sheer agility you gain in stability. Even tight turns and sneaks in traffic become more natural and straightforward, especially for lightweight riders.

Arriving on a pedestrian lane, you can switch without stopping to all-electric mode with one touch…. and on condition of driving at less than 20 km / h. Practical at the discretion level or simply to go home at night without waking everyone up or stinking the garage. Fully electric, the scooter can titillate 30 km / h…. largely sufficient, especially considering that the autonomy is then only 20 kilometers at most. In any case, the battery charge dial is coupled with an orange indicator light, which flashes when you are on reserve..

I suddenly wonder if the MP3 accepts to put itself in the locked wheels position while driving…. Eh, yes, he readily accepts the maneuver…. which turns out to be rather contraindicated. In fact, we are never perfectly straight but rather in balance; suddenly, blocking the direction causes the scooter to tilt which then turns to the left or the right, wheels blocked. To avoid absolutely in order not to be frightened.

To the rhythm of the successive fires, starts and restarts, the battery power indicator descends at high speed. After 15 kilometers, the needle is already in the middle. In fact, the extra autonomy hardly exceeds 30 kilometers in "stopper" mode.

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

And how does charging work? at high speed.

On the highway

With a straight nudge, I switch to "Hybrid charge" mode. The MP3 dashes dynamically on the motorway up to 80 km / h then climbs steadily before stabilizing at around 115 km / h, wrist on cleat. The kilometers then advance quickly, and the battery charge needle rises just as quickly. In about thirty kilometers, it has practically regained its maximum level.

The MP3 turns out to be stable, and even more so on grooves and slightly distorted roads. The contribution of stability is evident here.

The bubble is high and protects well. On the other hand, it generates eddies or even infrasound in the helmet which appreciates the high speed a little less. On the engine side, on the other hand, you can hear it no more at maximum speed than when stopped.

If the MP3 reaches 115 km / h on its way, as much to say that the accelerations from 80 km / h are quite slow. It is therefore necessary to forget any overtaking of the vehicle itself traveling at 90-95 km / h. The passing is then so long that it becomes questionable from a safety point of view.

In fact, if the motorway climbs slightly, as is often the case in the Paris region, anyway, the MP3 drops its speed to a maximum of 90 km / h.

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

On departmental

With a limited top speed, the MP3 is naturally more comfortable on departmental roads where it can provide a dynamic pace from turn to turn. It is even impressive to see how far the machine accepts to bow safely. But it is above all its near insensitivity to degraded pavements that gives confidence and comfort.

Braking

The front brakes very well, as well as the rear. The feeling is good and the braking offered is progressive and largely sufficient to stop the scooter.

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

Convenient

With the MP3 vertical locking system, the scooter pushes very, very easily back and forth, effortlessly. You can even push it from behind like a car. And it also works on a slope. It’s frankly very practical.

Side central stand, the scooter gets started really easily and effortlessly. De-kicking is just as easy. A very good point for maneuvers carried out often.

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid charging socketThe battery takes up all the space under the saddle! The advantage of the scooter, which lies in the possibility of often putting up to 2 helmets under the saddle, completely disappears.
There is also no storage compartment in the front.

Fortunately, there is a trunk at the rear, which can be operated, Neiman unlocked, by pressing two buttons on the handlebars. It is convenient. On the other hand, the trunk is small. However, we will slip in at least a jet and / or a laptop, a U (even long) and a large rain suit plus a few trinkets..

It will therefore be necessary to add the optional 48-liter top-case if we want to increase the amount of stuff to take …. with the downside that the trunk can no longer open fully.

Recharge

The MP3 Hybrid can be recharged from a simple power outlet! In fact, this mode is ideal, given the increase in fuel consumption resulting from hybrid charging in the city. We lift the saddle, take the extension cord and plug in for 3 hours of charging. There is no simpler.

Piaggio MP3 Hybrid

Comfort

The saddle is wide and comfortable. The passenger also benefits from a backrest and well-placed handles.

Consumption

Consumption is around 2 liters per hundred, which is two times less than the gasoline version, but on condition that you do not use the hybrid charging system in town, in which case, consumption can rise to 5 liters per hundred. But with a 12-liter tank (including a 1.8-liter reserve), the range is still around 300 kilometers in mixed use..

Conclusion

The MP3 Hybrid is a nice scooter, pleasant to use every day. We can only salute the willingness and approach of a brand to invest so heavily in electricity to provide a scooter that is in the average power of 125 cm3 scooters but with a loss of storage space that is detrimental to the urban use. As for the fuel economy, very real, it is only offset by the additional cost of the hybrid model after 90,000 kilometers (saving 2 liters – or 3 euros – every 100 km, but additional cost of 2,700 euros at procurement). It is therefore more the ecological aspect (with the reserve of rigor on the recycling of the batteries) and the interest to circulate in silence in pedestrian zone in electric mode more the practical side of the reverse which could motivate the purchase. . We can now dream of a premium on electricity, such as premiums offered for electric bikes, and a drop in the price of batteries to achieve a more reasonable price for the consumer.

Strong points

  • consumption

Weak points

  • price

Without competition

The MP3 Hybrid technical sheet

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