Espagne
Silence
Silence is a Spanish urban electric-mobility brand specializing in scooters and microcars (quadricycles) with removable batteries. The company was founded in Barcelona in 2011 under the name Scutum by Carlos Sotelo, with the ambition of designing electric two-wheelers aimed first at delivery fleets. After several years of research and patent filings, the first scooter, the S02, was brought to market around 2014 and quickly established itself as a favorite tool for last-mile delivery services in Spain. The brand later adopted the name Silence, chosen to evoke the quiet operation inherent to electric propulsion. In January 2021, the Spanish group Acciona, a major player in infrastructure and renewable energy, took a controlling stake in Scutum Logistic by buying out shares held notably by Repsol and Criteria (La Caixa). Silence then became the electric-mobility brand of the Acciona group, while Carlos Sotelo retained a leadership role. In 2021, Silence unveiled the S04, its first electric microcar presented as an urban "NanoCar" with removable batteries. Large-scale series production of the S04 was launched in 2024 at the Acciona plant located in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone (Zona Franca). The brand's technological signature is built on removable batteries with integrated wheels, which can be transported like a suitcase to be recharged from a household outlet and swapped at dedicated stations in Spain. On the commercial side, Silence has signed distribution agreements relying on established automotive networks, notably with Nissan in Europe, to sell the S04 and some of its scooters. The brand is focused on European markets (Spain, France, the United Kingdom, etc.) and remains an urban micromobility manufacturer rather than a general-purpose automaker. In North America, Silence has no official presence or established distribution network: its vehicles are essentially absent from the consumer market there, which makes it a rare or unknown brand in Quebec.
ActiveÉlectrique / hybrideCamion / utilitaireEuropéennes
History
History of Silence
Silence is a Spanish urban electric-mobility brand specializing in scooters and microcars (quadricycles) with removable batteries. The company was founded in Barcelona in 2011 under the name Scutum by Carlos Sotelo, with the ambition of designing electric two-wheelers aimed first at delivery fleets. After several years of research and patent filings, the first scooter, the S02, was brought to market around 2014 and quickly established itself as a favorite tool for last-mile delivery services in Spain. The brand later adopted the name Silence, chosen to evoke the quiet operation inherent to electric propulsion. In January 2021, the Spanish group Acciona, a major player in infrastructure and renewable energy, took a controlling stake in Scutum Logistic by buying out shares held notably by Repsol and Criteria (La Caixa). Silence then became the electric-mobility brand of the Acciona group, while Carlos Sotelo retained a leadership role. In 2021, Silence unveiled the S04, its first electric microcar presented as an urban "NanoCar" with removable batteries. Large-scale series production of the S04 was launched in 2024 at the Acciona plant located in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone (Zona Franca). The brand's technological signature is built on removable batteries with integrated wheels, which can be transported like a suitcase to be recharged from a household outlet and swapped at dedicated stations in Spain. On the commercial side, Silence has signed distribution agreements relying on established automotive networks, notably with Nissan in Europe, to sell the S04 and some of its scooters. The brand is focused on European markets (Spain, France, the United Kingdom, etc.) and remains an urban micromobility manufacturer rather than a general-purpose automaker. In North America, Silence has no official presence or established distribution network: its vehicles are essentially absent from the consumer market there, which makes it a rare or unknown brand in Quebec.
Public founding or origin of Silence.
Technologies
Technologies, innovations and platforms
Silence stands out for its removable lithium-ion battery fitted with integrated wheels, which detaches from the vehicle to be pulled like a suitcase and recharged from a simple household outlet, or swapped at dedicated stations. Its scooters use electric motors of a few kilowatts (up to roughly 7 to 9 kW depending on the version), with regenerative braking and connectivity (mobile app, geolocation, diagnostics). The S04 microcar, a two-seat quadricycle, comes in L6e versions (low speed, about 6 kW) and L7e versions (up to roughly 14 kW, faster). The platform prioritizes compactness, light weight and urban use rather than highway performance. Range relies on one or two interchangeable batteries, with a homologated range suited to everyday city trips. Electric scooter propulsion (a few kilowatts), removable lithium-ion battery on wheels rechargeable from a household outlet, regenerative braking and app connectivity. The S03 adopts a three-wheel configuration for load capacity and stability in intensive urban delivery use. A two-seat electric quadricycle in L6e versions (low speed, about 6 kW, up to 40 km/h) and L7e versions (about 14 kW, up to 90 km/h). One or two removable batteries, homologated urban range up to roughly 150 km, compact lightweight platform. A 100% electric architecture with a removable lithium-ion battery, scooter or quadricycle electric motors, regenerative braking and connectivity. No hybrid or combustion powertrain; recharging from a household outlet or battery swapping at a station.
Brand image
Identity, reputation, strengths and weaknesses
Positioning
A Spanish urban electric micromobility brand (scooters and microcars with removable batteries), part of the Acciona group, absent from the North American market.
Reputation
Silence enjoys a good reputation in its niche of urban electric micromobility, particularly in Spain, where its scooters dominate the professional delivery segment. The removable battery system is widely praised for its convenience, eliminating the need for a dedicated charging station. The S01 scooter has received favorable distinctions in European tests. Because it is a young, niche brand, there is still limited perspective on long-term reliability and resale value, and the after-sales service ecosystem depends heavily on the local presence of distributors, which is virtually nonexistent in North America.
Strengths
Silence's strengths lie in its removable battery concept, which eliminates the constraint of fixed charging and makes life easier in dense urban environments. Its vehicles are compact, agile, quiet and economical to use, well suited to professional delivery and short city trips. Backing from the Acciona group provides financial solidity and industrial capacity.
Points to watch
Silence remains a niche brand, limited to low-range, low-speed urban uses, poorly suited to long distances or harsh winter conditions. Its lack of an official network in North America raises questions about parts, service and local homologation. There is still little perspective on long-term reliability and resale value, and microcars remain a marginal segment in Quebec.
Models
Silence models
Current or active models by market
Production and compatibility
Plants, tires and wheels
Production
Silence's production is concentrated in Spain. The headquarters and R&D center are located in the Barcelona area (with a center in Esplugues de Llobregat), and assembly is carried out at a plant in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone (Zona Franca), operated within the Acciona group, where the S04 microcar has been produced in series since 2024. The brand operates no plant in North America and has neither an assembly line nor an industrial network there. Its manufacturing remains entirely European, oriented toward the continent's markets, which explains its absence from the Quebec and North American market.
Tires and wheels
Silence vehicles (scooters and the S04 microcar) belong to micromobility: they use small scooter or quadricycle tires, mounted on small-diameter wheels, unrelated to the common dimensions of cars or SUVs. Their bolt pattern and mounting differ from automotive standards, and conventional winter tires for cars do not apply to them. For a tire and wheel retailer in Quebec, these vehicles do not represent significant demand: the brand is nearly absent from the North American market. The relevance of this profile is above all informational and encyclopedic, rather than tied to any real-world fitment of local tires or wheels.