Commuters could buy their next scooter at…a Nissan car dealership. Nissan has signed a deal with the Spanish Accoiona Group, which makes the Silence range of electric scooters. Nissan dealers in France and Italy began selling the scooters in June, with Germany due to follow in September and British Nissan dealers in October.
Nissan is hoping that the move will enable it to tap into new markets, such as powered two-wheelers, which it has been absent from until now – the Silence range includes 50cc and 125cc-equivalent electric scooters, as well as the two-seater Nanocar, all of which come under the umbrella term of ‘micromobility.’ Nothing to do with motorcycles? Scooters are part of the powered two-wheeler sector, and micro-cars are now part of the Motorcycle Industry Association’s remit.

Carlos Sotelo, CEO of Acciona, said: “The needs of drivers in today’s towns and cities are changing – their commute, their attitudes to mobility, and what constitutes a realistic and efficient way for them to get around urban areas. To respond to this, we need to think smarter, smaller and lighter.”

Jim Freeman of the BMF welcomed the move to bring lightweight powered two-wheelers to a wider audience. “With electric two wheelers ‘smarter, smaller and lighter’ is the way to go, without the energy density of conventional liquid fuels, where 1 litre packs the punch of kilos of batteries, this is the way forward. Nissan, in case we forget, pioneered mass market electric cars with the Leaf, which is still the benchmark for many. First gen Leafs are still around on the used market, a dozen years on, with battery packs the main value of the entire car. 50 miles may not sound like much range, but if all you ever do is drive around town, what’s not to like? The same will surely apply on two wheels, if you want to go on holiday, you’ll want something else.”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Nissan