EICMA 2016 Will Feature Electric Motorcycle Reveals

The US has SEMA, where automakers and aftermarket suppliers gather to show off their wildest, craziest new, new things. Italy has EICMA, the Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo Accessori, an annual show where motorcycle manufacturers bring their latest creations to present them to the public for the first time. The theme of this year’s EICMA show is “Bikes Never Seen Before.” One of those will be a new electric motorcycle from Energica.

Photo by the author.

Let’s begin by saying that Europeans take their motorcycles seriously. In September, I spent a lovely afternoon eating gelato on the shores of Lake Orta, which is nestled at the foot of the Italian Alps.. Across from me was a parking lot filled with sport bikes — Ducatis, Moto Guzzis, BMWs, and Hondas. They had all been driven along sinuous Alpine roads that morning to come watch a MotoGP race at a local ristorante. 

I watched as they drove up. Every rider and passenger was dressed in full leathers. All wore helmets. All had proper gloves and footwear. Off in one corner was one Harley Davidson, but its rider was also fitted out in full riding gear. There was no one dressed in shorts and a T shirt, wearing sandals. Every one of those bikes had been ridden hard and put away wet, still tinkling and crackling with the sound of cooling exhaust pipes as they sat in the sun. Riding a bike on the Continent and riding a bike in the US are two distinct and separate worlds.

Energica, the Italian electric motorcycle maker, promises to unveil a new concept at EICMA this year. Sources expect the concept to be built on the company’s two current offerings, the Ego sport bike and the Eva street fighter. The electric powertrain will likely be very similar to 136 horsepower unit with 145 lb-ft of torque that propels the Ego to 60 mph in 3 seconds and a top speed of 150 mph. It will also introduce a new color option — Lunar White — for its two production models.

Zero, the American electric motorcycle manufacturer will launch its 2017 lineup at EICMA this year. Zero has added two new models — the supermoto-based Zero FXS and max adventure Zero DSR. The new model line also offers faster charging, thanks to the Charge Tank accessory.

“Europe represents about half of our global business, and the 2016 model line reflects our commitment to appeal to an increasingly diverse range of discerning riders,” said Richard Walker, CEO, Zero Motorcycles. “With increased performance, up to 317 km of city range and greater value, we look forward to many more people experiencing the thrill of electric.”

EICMA runs from November 19 to 22 in Milan. If you go, drop me a line. I know a great restaurant there. Ciao!

Source: Auto Evolution, Car and Bike

Energica Eva Electric Motorcycle Goes From LA To SF In 12 Hours

Energica is an Italian electric motorcycle company. It now has two models, the Ego and the Eva. Gas2 contributor Susanna Schick has tested the Ego and pronounced it “a proper electric superbike.” The Eva is “naked” version of the Eva. It comes with an 11.7 kWh lithium ion battery and a 95 horsepower motor that produces 125 ft-lbs of torque.

An electric motorcycle is great when it can be ridden close to home and recharged conveniently. But can a rider actually go touring on one? On May 16th, actor and U.S. Air Force veteran Bill Levasseur rode an Energica Eva from Los Angeles to San Francisco, recharging only at CCS fast-charging stations along the way.

On his trip, Levasseur made nine stops at fast chargers on the 450 mile route. He stopped for an average of 23 minutes per charge, and the ride took about 12 hours. 3.5 of those hours were spent at charging stations. Compare that to the 17 hours the same journey would take if DC fast chargers were not available.

The ride was designed to celebrate the opening of Energica’s flagship store on San Francisco’s Page Street. It is the first dedicated store selling the Energica Ego and Eva. Up till now, Energica’s bikes were only available in the U.S. through Hollywood Electrics.

ChargePoint, BMW, and Volkswagen have formed a partnership to install DC fast chargers along primary highways on the East and West Coast. The stations are spaced approximately 50 miles apart between Boston and Washington, DC and between Portland, Oregon and San Diego. They all support the CCS charging standard that uses SAE Combo plugs.

The ChargePoint equipment can give a BMW i3 or Volkswagen e-Golf an 80% charge in as little as 20 minutes with the 50 kW charger or 30 minutes using a 24 kW charger. They are also compatible with an electric motorcycle like the Energica Eva, which is what made Lavasseur’s journey possible.

Touring on an electric motorcycle is still a challenge on roads where fast chargers are not available, but the infrastructure for electric vehicles is getting better all the time. You can find out more about ChargePoint and the location of the chargers in its network on the company website.

Source and photo credit: Green Car Reports

“Tesla of Motorcycles” Energica Goes Public at EICMA

Calling itself “the Tesla of motorcycles”, European bike maker Energica launched the final production version of its Eva street bike earlier this week at EICMA 2015 (below). That was big news for the small startup, but the bigger news is Energica’s aim to go public, eventually offering its company shares on the London Stock Market.

UBS, the Swiss global financial services company has been hired to help Energica get everything in order and allow the company to look for private investment to raise the necessary free capital in order to be listed on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM Italia sub-market. AIM itself being a sort of “sub market” that caters to small and medium-sized businesses in the technology sector.

Assuming everything goes as planned Energica hopes to raise more capital to expand and grow its business by selling approximately 20 million Euros worth of stock if and when it finally lands on AIM.

With other electric motorcycle companies getting absorbed into ICE brands or going under entirely in recent months, it’s good to see a company like Energica make it this far. Check out the new Eva, below, then let us know what you think of their odds of success in the comments section, below.

Energica EVA Debuts at EICMA 2015

---

• 

• 
• 
• 

Source | Images: Energica, via Asphalt and Rubber.