Italian EV makerEnergicahas been making electric motorcycles—slowly—for over a decade. Arecent acquisitionof the brand byESGand EV investment concernIdeanomicsmay breathe new life into and expand the operations of the Modena-based maker of high-end, high-speed electric bikes.

Ideanomics recently invited ADVrider.com to New York City to meet the company principals, including Energica CEOLivia Cevolini and theIdeanomics team, and to take some of machines Energica offers for a ride around Manhattan.

Business news first: As noted, Ideanomics (IDEX) has purchased Energica for about $90 million USD via a purchase of the majority of shares of the company, and adds the bike maker to its EV-centric portfolio. The portfolio also includes the acquisition of VIA Motors (a Utah-based maker of electric fleet vans and trucks) that’s still subject to shareholder approval, another company that makes hydrogen-powered hybrids and even a maker of electric tractors. Other holdings focus on charging and other EV tech. Ideanomics leaders told ADVrider.com that the focus of the company is squarely on the electric mobility sector.

The support of Ideanomics will mean expanded production of Energica’s three motorcycles, the $25,600 USDEGO sportbike, the $23,800 USDEVA Ribelle, a naked version of the EGO, and the $22,850 USD EVAEsseEsse9, a more urban-focused standard-style machine named for an entertaining road near where the bikes are made in Modena, Italy. Prices are for the base models: higher-powered “Plus” and “RS” versions along with numerous upgrade options are available at additional cost, naturally. At present, there are adozen Energica dealers in the U.S.and more around the world. Ideanomics says that number will expand soon.

Ideanomics is also planning to expand Energica’s footprint with a new venture calledEnergica Inside, which will leverage Energica’s considerable experience with motor controllers and electric motor technologies to bring power to electric mobility devices made by other companies, likely on the lighter side of urban mobility—think scooters and such.

These are some seriously stout machines in terms of power. The most “basic” bike, the EsseEsse9, sports 109 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers equal or exceed offerings from Zero and Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire machines. The EGO and EVA Ribelle punch things up quite a bit: 145 hp and 148 nits of torque and a regulated 150 mph top speed. The EsseEsse9 tops out at 125mph. Again, more money buys more power, with the EGO and EVA rising to 171 hp peak horsepower and 159 bits of twist in top RS trims. Per the Energica website, the base models weigh 621 pounds, but spring for the RS version and lightweight materials drop it to 573 pounds. Wheelbase is just under 58 inches on each bike.

But How Are The Bikes To Ride?

JournalistMicah Toll from Electrekmuscled in on the EVA Ribelle when we assembled atFillipacci’s stylish showroom in Manhattan,所以我开始在EsseEsse9当我们骑leader piloted the EGO, which was decked out in a viva Italia “Tricolore” paint scheme. Keys in, 21.5kWh battery on, ride mode set to “Standard” (Eco, Wet and Sport are the other options) and regenerative braking at Medium, we set out to navigate Manhattan island’s byways. The initial start was … slow. It seems a lot of people live in New York City, and they all seemed to want to go where we were going. Lane splitting is not legal in New York, but we creatively picked our way through the gridlock by essentially hopping over the lane lines and slowly threading our way towards FDR Drive, and then headed east along the East River.

Traffic changed from gridlock to a fast-paced game of Tetris and I popped the EsseEsse9 into Sport mode so I could “keep up” with my ride mates on their friskier mounts. I lollygagged for a short bit to create some space to roll on the power, and the EsseEsse9 shot forward on a huge wave of torque, building speed so quickly I nearly played tag with Toll’s rear tire. Thank goodness for the big Brembo 330mm dual discs and ABS! I immediately put the bike back into standard Urban mode and tried my best to behave.

Micah and I traded bikes at a stop before hopping on Highway 9A to head east back to Fillipacci’s showroom, and the additional pop and aggressiveness of the EVA Ribelle was immediately obvious. Even in standard ride mode, there was more of everything: power, torque and velocity. Heading down the 9A, traffic mercifully thinned out for a bit, and I put the EVA into Sport mode and hung back again to create some space. Rolling on the power, the EVA’s front end got light and the speedo briefly crested triple digits before I had to once again lean into the Brembos to avoid the traffic I was rapidly catching up to. Clearly it had much,muchmore to offer in terms of speed and acceleration.

Ride-wise, the EsseEsse9 feels planted and neutral, and has a bit more cush than the more sporting EGO and EVA. The bars also have a bit more rise, and not surprisingly, the EsseEsse9 was the more purely comfortable perch compared to the naked-bike EVA. We didn’t encounter much in the way of twisties on our route, but despite the 550-plus pounds, the bikes certainly seem game for testing the sides of tires. A decade ago, the initial Energica bikes were racing machines, and the track attitude remains intact in the EVA and likely the EGO. The EsseEsse9 is no slouch either, but fared better on the crowded city streets.

9我们退出并返回自行车店through city traffic, and despite the enormous power on tap, the EVA was easy to ride at 10 mph and even 1 mph thanks to flawless throttle (rheostat?) behavior—which is adjustable, as are many of the operational aspects of the bikes. It was an impressive, if too short, demonstration of what Energica has to offer, and will hopefully build upon going forward.

As noted, I did not get any seat time aboard the EGO. Key differences I logged between the EsseEsse9 and the EVA include a more aggressive (but still quite comfortable) riding position, firmer suspension, and the big bump in horsepower and torque, of course. The EGO is different again: a more pure sportbike posture with clip-ons and rearset pegs, it should be a hoot at speed on proper roads. Wink wink: A much longer ride on all the bike models on more suitable roads is likely on tap for the near future. Stay tuned for a much more in-depth ride review this summer.

Tech Notes

I’ve ridden most all the models from U.S.-based Zero and I’ve long been hoping to land some quality time with other players including Energica, as well as the somewhat nebulousLightning machinesand the sadly defunctMissionbikes, so it was enlightening to finally see some different approaches and technologies at play. As of yet, I have not had a chance to ride a LiveWire model. While the Zero bikes drive the rear wheel right off the axle of the air-cooled motors, the Energica machines utilize a step gear to multiply torque output, and the motors are liquid cooled. On the boil, the bikes have a definite gear whir and are not “silent,” but also not annoying. you can hear them in action in the Energica video at the bottom of this article. Energica also runs a larger battery at 21.5kWh as standard, while Zero, until recently, maxed out at 14.4kWh with an option to add a second small battery for over 16kWh of capacity. New Zero models can be optioned to over 17kWh. Energica’s bikes typically weight in at about 575 pounds depending on model options.

Energica claims their new EMCE liquid-cooled motor and inverter system weighs 22 pounds less than previous versions, bumps up horsepower a bit and is also more efficient to boot, giving the bikes an urban range of over 260 miles, a mixed range of 153 miles and 123 miles of straight highway riding. Zero to 100kph (or 0-63mph) comes in 2.8 seconds, and RS versions of the EGO and EVA will knock .2 off that time due to even more aggressive motor programming. All of the bikes feature color LCD screens with handlebar controllers, and allow rider adjustment of engine braking/regen, ride mode tweaks, ABS, six levels of traction control and more. The bikes all connect to the Enegica app for even more monitoring and adjustability. They also all feature cruise control. The EGO model can also be had with an optionaltrack/racing kit. Up until this year, Energica supplied the electric race bikes for the nascentMotoE racingprogram. Now, Ducati has taken over in that department.

Energica has an edge on charging as well, with each bike capable of accepting a flood of electrons from DC Fast Chargers (DCFC) as standard. Zero models can use Level II chargers, but not DCFC units. On our ride around Manhattan, we barely put a dent in the batteries’ storage, but we weren’t going very fast most of the time, either.

Conclusions

Despite our brief ride, it’s clear the Energica bikes are well-made, technically advanced and eye-watering fast, no matter the model. Good looking, too, although I find the rear shock placement a bit odd. A company spokesperson told ADVrider.com that Energica produced “hundreds” of bikes last year and over a thousand machines in total, so it’s not like the company is promising much and delivering vapor. The bikes are being made and delivered—slowly. Energica’s purchase by Ideanomics will hopefully get production going at a faster clip sooner than later, and both Energica principals and Ideanomics leaders say they are committed to developing the brand and to making Energica bikes the best electric motorcycles available to riders. With the company planning to diversify with the Energica Inside venture, some of the high-performance tech we got to sample could end up in some interesting new products from Energica or other brands.

For those of us wondering how these electric speed machines have any bearing on adventure riding, it’s not a stretch to imagine a lower-horsepower but torque-heavy adventure bike in Energica’s future. With a big 21.5kWh battery already on board, it has decent range, but charging the big battery off your cell phone portable charger is probably out of the question. Just as with Zero’s now departed Black Forest model, range is the critically limiting factor for any electric ADV.

Making worthy electric motorcycles isn’t easy, but after my short ride, I do feel positive about Energica’s future, especially with the financial backing of the new owners. Time will tell, of course, as nothing is assured during this time of transition from gas-powered bikes to electric, but in the long run, the transition to electric propulsion is likely inevitable. Given their power and performance capabilities at this early stage of development (in contrast to how long gas-powered bikes have had to evolve), it’s clear to me that the only way forward for electric motorcycles is that they will get faster, lighter, simpler, smarter, hopefully cheaper and eventually have the battery range and recharge capabilities that will put to rest the shortcomings of today’s models.

如果是内燃机的声音和愤怒that keeps you in the saddle, I understand and empathize; I have a garage full of gassers myself. But ifthe rideis the thing, there’s really nothing quite like the Warp 10 experience a powerful electric motorcycle like the Energica bikes can provide. Check back in June for a more in-depth update.