No. In its standard format Velopresso does not use any electricity. The grinder is powered directly (mechanically) by pedalling, and the espresso machine uses a spring-lever group to draw the water from the boiler and generate the 9 bar of pressure for extraction. For heat the espresso machine* is fitted with a gas burner and it runs on standard cylinders of LPG (propane or butane). The new lightweight gas cylinders with fibreglass/composite instead of heavy steel, work very well and are widely available. This is a highly efficient, reliable and robust system, as there are no electrical components to breakdown.

We now offer (since January 2017 ) the option of a *dual fuel espresso machine. This means that the water in the boiler of the espresso machine can either be heated by the gas burner or by an electric heating element in the boiler running on mains electricity. This enables the Velopresso to be used inside buildings where the use of a gas cylinder is prohibited. This option is available in the UK, EU and other countries around the world where mains electricity is compatible. This dual fuel system is used on the other models in Fracino’s industry leading FCL1 range of which our FCL1-Velo is part of. See the p.13 of the Specification for more information.