Engineer, Mechanic Design DIY Kit to Turn Your Scooter Electric in 16 Hours

The era of the electric vehicle is likely to offer many benefits, from cleaner air to reduced noise to lower ownership costs. But there are some obvious drawbacks for fans of vintage vehicles — updating your decades-old ride for the end of the internal-combustion era isn’t as easy as just swapping out the gas tank for a battery. Except, apparently, unless you’re after la dolce vita. The New York Times this week detailed how two friends and scooter enthusiasts from the U.K. developed a do-it-yourself kit to turn iconic Italian scooters from noisy, exhaust-spewing vehicles into quiet, zero-emission ones.