Energica Ego road test: 150mph electric superbike

The Ego has (almost) landed. This beautiful Italian superbike known as the Energica Ego is due on our shores from Spring 2015 but Bike Social were invited to the home of Energica in Modena to ride the 'advanced prototype'. Oh, and it’s electric.

Energica is no start-up. It's a sub-brand of the CRP Group who specialise in CNC machining and 3D printing for the motorsports and aerospace industries. Images and examples are showcased around the headquarters from their top clients so here is a distinguished and credible brand with vast technological know-how and resource who have created a fully electric, zero emission motorcycle that packs a very powerful punch in a the most non-aggressive manner.

To give that a little context, that punch in figures is 144 ft lbs of torque (195Nm) - the power transmitted from the wheel to the ground - from 0 to 4,700rpm, compared to the Ducati 1199 Panigale R which offers 98.1 ft lbs (132Nm) at 9,000rpm. 

But wait. Let's put something into perspective here. The Energica Ego is a performance bike from the future, its power and delivery shouldn't be compared to a bike with an internal combustion engine because they provide their individual performance in different manners. Because the Ego has been developed in Italy by Italians, its looks are certainly synonymous with what you’d expect to see from an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. Shapely curves, sweeping lines, attractive front end and an overall look that offers a sense of pride to be seen with/on. The headlights are reminiscent of a Yamaha R1 and in fact so is the seating position which is certainly sporty but even with low clip-on bars there’s no feeling of too-much-weight-on-wrists. I’m 6ft tall and felt comfortable and connected to the bike, the seat is angled enough to allow you to slide back if you want to tuck under the screen, yet is not too steep for 30-40mph town sections.

The centre of gravity and handling have to be compromised because the battery is big and the weight is more than your average sports bike so, by Energica’s own admission, the bike is heavy when handling it at 0mph and even on the test ride it needed a fair amount of persuasion to get from side to side at speed. Initially the front suspension was very soft and wobbled around over every lump and bump in the road and this was especially worrying at speed so much so that I lost faith in the front end. However, we stopped for photos and whipped out a key to adjust the rebound and compression almost up to maximum which was much more bearable on the return trip. The battery size thankfully doesn’t compromise the dimensions of the bike either, the Ego is only 10mm wider than an R1.

Performance

Talk about torque; the power is available instantly and Energica have concentrated a great proportion of their development efforts on making the delivery as smooth as possible. At town-speed the bike doesn’t feel any different to your average 1,000cc sports bike but the slightest twist of throttle and there’s an instant and smooth increase with no judder, lag or shake. Anything more and the bike accelerates punishingly quickly but with very little apparent effort from the motor yet and without feeling brutal enough to stretch your forearms. Without the mechanical noise, a blip of the gas or an exhaust note of a downshift, you don’t get the stomach clenching speed differential which some may feel a little alien but it is easy to get used to. It would be like taking off on a plane without hearing it.

Because there’s no clutch or gearbox you are always in the perfect situation to give it some gas and blast off so if you are traversing some of the finer roads around the UK or further afield then you can concentrate wholly on the ride.

The Ego will get you from 0-60mph in under 3 seconds and is limited to 150mph but that mid-range is so powerful yet so smooth and I found myself backing off just so I could open the throttle and check I wasn’t dreaming.

Despite its association with motorsport and performance vehicles, Modena’s roads are pretty grim and the suspension was not initially set up to cope. So initially the chain felt like was clunking against the swinging arm over every gap in the tarmac.

As with most modern-day sportsbikes and their derivatives, power mapping modes are available on the Ego and the four are easily changeable while riding via the obvious ‘Mode’ switch on the left grip; Rain, Eco, Normal and Sport with the latter three only having subtle differences.

Range

The claimed range is 120 miles in 'real world riding' but according to the spec sheet this equates to 35mph. On test I covered 45 miles but that included trying the alternative modes, how responsive the throttle was especially mid-range, and so on, so I would say this wasn’t real world riding but there was still 34% battery remaining as indicated on the very colourful and easy-to-read TFT display.

If you cruise around at 50mph then three-figure mileage would be achievable but we all know that when equipped with a performance bike there aren’t many 50mph cruises.

Charge

The standard bike has one charge option and 0 – 100% will take 3.5 hours although a fast-charger is an option at purchase and this will see 0-85% charge in 30 minutes. The problem at the moment is the lack of charge points not only in the UK but across Europe.

There’s no cost available yet for the quick charge option though why anyone would not select this option is beyond me.

Noise

Energica’s Chief Technical Officer, Giampiero Testoni, and his colleagues compare the noise, or “roar”, as the translation goes, to the “scream of a jet fighter” which is quite ambitious. However, the final cut gears are certainly noisy enough to overpower wind and / or road noise with a similar whining sound to a turbine whether accelerating or decelerating. There is small window known as the 'neutral zone' where, with the slightest amount of off-throttle, is a point where no noise can be heard from the bike nor any regeneration is happening.

Brakes

ABS on the production model will be fitted as standard and is a requirement from 2016 onwards. The mega 330mm Brembo's should have been more than capable but because the bike is 65kg heavier than a Ducati 1199 I did lack confidence on occasion so used some rear brake keep the bike settled especially on the downhill sections of the test route.

When riding this bike you have to adjust your mind. It’s a twist-and-go superbike. Like a computer game but it’s not just about understanding its forward motion performance, it’s easy to neglect the stopping power required too.

An Brosch ABS system will be fitted as standard to the production model.

Regeneration

As with the four power modes, there are for regeneration modes too; off, low, medium and high. Each provides its own level of ‘engine braking’. I kept the test bike mainly in medium having tried the alternate settings and as soon as you roll the throttle off, the regeneration of power begins and you notice a similar engine braking feeling to that of a typical four-cylinder bike. I wouldn’t advise using the ‘off’ setting unless you’re on track by the way.

Ego 45 – the top spec model

If you want more luxury on your fine Italian superbike then you are in luck because Energica are making a limited edition of 45 Ego’s, cunningly named the Ego 45 in celebration of the CRP Group’s 45^th anniversary.

The 45 is visually distinguishable because of its red headlight surrounds but the differences to the standard bike are; fast charger equipped as standard, fully adjustable Ohlins both front and rear, full carbon fibre fairings, adjustable rear-sets, CNC machined triple clamp, rims are forged aluminium (cast aluminium on the standard model), each is individually numbered with a plaque next to the ignition switch. There’s the optional of paint customisation (standard only comes in Matt Black or White) and upgraded tyres from Pirelli Diablo Rosso II to Diablo Rosso Corsa.

The red parts are created, like much of the bikes components, in-house. CRP’s own 3D printing facilities provide the headlight and indicator surrounds as well as the honeycomb air vent under the pillion seat which aids cooling when charging. They have very F1-style ceramic coating.

Next Energica model

The company’s CEO, Livia Cevolini, is the granddaughter of founder Roberto Cevolini, and she expects 500 bikes to be sold next year with the USA initially as a strong market. She believes interest from Japan and Western Europe will follow in year two and the company are sensible enough to have development plans for a second, third and fourth model through their detailed business plan. A second model, based on the Ego but without fairing, a different seat, different styling and higher bars and called ‘EVA’, will be unveiled at the Milan trade show at the beginning of November.

Conclusion

We rode the ‘advanced prototype’ version of the Ego which was almost production-ready although still had a few gaps in the fairings, there’ll also be amendments to the battery casing and ABS will be added as standard on the final version of the Ego. The company are still working on the warranty deal but promised it will be a minimum of two years.

It may not be during our generation but alternative fuel powered motorcycling will outweigh the standard combustion engine form one day, and Energica are the type of company committed to leading us there. The brother/sister pairing at the head of the firm are super highly educated with their eye firmly on operating the Energica branch of the Group as a true business - this is not a whim. Speaking with both Franco and Livia and you quickly begin to understand their vision. Currently they have 65 employees across the Group with a turnover of around €10m. They estimate 500 sales of the Ego worldwide in Year 1 and, once the production process is fine-tuned and the right people are employed, are estimating two bikes per day from their brand-new bespoke factory down the road from HQ.

The bike is a serious advancement in technology and just riding it gives you a sense of what is to come. A twist-and-go superbike which is remarkably easy to master and has the capabilities of being a significant model in the history of motorcycling. It’s not the finished article but then how many said that of the Henry Ford’s Model T? Try it, you just might like it.

Tech Specs