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Good Design Awards ARCHIVE 2020 Transportation
Zapp i300 2018-2019
  • Zapp i300 2018-2019
  • Zapp i300 2018-2019
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Zapp i300 2018-2019

Designers: Zapp Scooters Limited, Chapman Way, Hethel, United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Zapp Scooters (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Tha Kham, Bangpakong, Thailand

Zapp’s i300 is the world’s fastest accelerating scooter, with the handling and stopping power to match. This uncompromising bike leaves all 300cc models behind – and plenty of other vehicles as well! Need we say more?

To begin with, there’s 14,000 Watts of power at peak, delivering 587Nm at the wheel. This takes you past 30 Mph in 2.35 seconds and beyond 43.5 Mph in 4.10. That’s above the speed limit in most of London and less time than it took you to read this paragraph.

To back up the fun stuff, there’s a beauty to the whole assembly. Two load-bearing aerospace-grade aluminum chassis members form the exoskeleton. In the middle there’s a permanent magnet motor, powered by twin batteries offering a useful 60-90 Km in Eco mode. Each battery is just 5kg and 5cm wide, so of a manageable weight and size to carry indoors. These can be charged practically anywhere with a 3 pin plug within 4 hours, which could include beside your desk whilst you are at work.

The belt drive is carbon of course, assuring a maintenance-free, quiet, and efficient ride with no power loss. This floats past the mono swingarm, which is also an ultralight and aluminium part to match the exoskeleton. Pushrod Coilover shocks offer progressive-rate springs with pre-load adjustable gas-filled dampers, to keep the ultra low profile tyres on the alloy wheels to lay down all the power.

The high-resolution screen displays all the details you need in full colour, whilst the upside-down dampers in the forks are paired with multi-piston floating calipers. There’s ABS too, so you can be sure that you can keep the power under control in all conditions.

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