Photo: Original image by autoevolution
Italy is making inroads into the electric bike territory, and the long-awaited Energica Ego promises to be a new fierce contender in the e-superbike segment. Designed and manufactured in Italy, Energica Ego is one bike the Italians can really be proud of. It may be that this machine is not the game-changer Kawasaki’s Ninja H2 will be, but this doesn’t make the Ego any less amazing.
For starters, this is NOT your average electric commuter, but a high performance motorcycle. I mean, you could of course, use it on a daily basis to get to work and run you errands around the town, but this would mean to downplay it in a most unfair way. With 136 horsepower available between 4,900 and 10,500 rpm, the world suddenly changes when you hop aboard the Energica.
The motor is oil-cooled and receives juice from a 11,7 kWh battery which can last for 1,200 cycles. The funny thing about Energica Ego’s battery pack is that it only needs 35 minutes for a 0-85% charge on a fast charger. Even when using standard charging, the battery will be full in 3 hours and a half, which is obviously great.
The VCU or Vehicle Control Unit (it doesn’t take an engineer to figure this out) is taking care of a wide range of operations, including monitoring, real-time management, battery and power management, regenerative braking performance, all performed with a redundant algorithm which increases the safety and performance.
Energica Ego arrives with no less than 4 riding modes easily selectable by the user, Standard, Eco, Rain and Sport, and with 4 regenerative maps for the brakes, Low, Medium, High and Off. The regenerative brakes are in constant relation with the way the Bosch ABS performs. The drivetrain eliminates the gearbox, since the Energica Ego is a direct-drive machine, but this doesn’t mean that it can’t do 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3 seconds or so. To make things even sweeter, you also get a reverse mode for getting out tight parking spots easier.
The utterly modern vibe of the Energica Ego also reflects in the dash instrumentation. Readouts come via a 4.3” WQVGA color TFT screen with a light sensor, assisted by 9 warning lights, GPS, Bluetooth communication and even a LTE/ UMTS/GPRS module for SMS, TCP/IP, FTP, SOCKET, HTTP data transfer.
Multiple parts of the Energica Ego are 3D printed, so customization will be a fun and interesting thing in the future. They also look and feel great to the touch, as we noticed on the showroom's floor in Milan.
The fiberglass fairings have also been treated with a special film which dramatically reduces porosity and provides the bike with an almost glassy look one doesn’t meet too often.
The range figures are decent, even though the bike still suffers from the inherent problems all battery-powered bikes have to confront. A full charge will last for 150 km @ 80 km/h - 190 km @ 60 km/h - 100 km @ 100 km/h (93 mi @ 50 mph, 118 mi @ 37 mph or 62 mi at 62 mph). Speed has been limited to 240 km/h (149 mph).
The price is not fixed yet. It will depend on the battery’s price fluctuations on the market in 2014. We hope it will remain between €22,000 and €25,000 ($25,000 to $28,000 + taxes) + VAT. Energica Ego will be available for purchase in 2015.
Immense torque means it's fun time
Now, we all know that electric bikes can produce the full amount of torque right off idle. However, when the “full amount” means 195 Nm (144 lb-ft), things suddenly look way more interesting. Indeed, the Energica Ego will deliver such torque form 0 to 4,700 rpm and this almost sounds like a joke compared to other bikes.The motor is oil-cooled and receives juice from a 11,7 kWh battery which can last for 1,200 cycles. The funny thing about Energica Ego’s battery pack is that it only needs 35 minutes for a 0-85% charge on a fast charger. Even when using standard charging, the battery will be full in 3 hours and a half, which is obviously great.
The VCU or Vehicle Control Unit (it doesn’t take an engineer to figure this out) is taking care of a wide range of operations, including monitoring, real-time management, battery and power management, regenerative braking performance, all performed with a redundant algorithm which increases the safety and performance.
Energica Ego arrives with no less than 4 riding modes easily selectable by the user, Standard, Eco, Rain and Sport, and with 4 regenerative maps for the brakes, Low, Medium, High and Off. The regenerative brakes are in constant relation with the way the Bosch ABS performs. The drivetrain eliminates the gearbox, since the Energica Ego is a direct-drive machine, but this doesn’t mean that it can’t do 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3 seconds or so. To make things even sweeter, you also get a reverse mode for getting out tight parking spots easier.
Racing gear is everyday gear
Energica Ego is equipped with top-drawer Marzocchi 43mm fully-adjustable forks, and Ohlins rear dampers, also adjustable. Braking power comes via Brembo calipers squeezing dual 330mm steel front discs and a 240mm rear one.The utterly modern vibe of the Energica Ego also reflects in the dash instrumentation. Readouts come via a 4.3” WQVGA color TFT screen with a light sensor, assisted by 9 warning lights, GPS, Bluetooth communication and even a LTE/ UMTS/GPRS module for SMS, TCP/IP, FTP, SOCKET, HTTP data transfer.
Multiple parts of the Energica Ego are 3D printed, so customization will be a fun and interesting thing in the future. They also look and feel great to the touch, as we noticed on the showroom's floor in Milan.
The fiberglass fairings have also been treated with a special film which dramatically reduces porosity and provides the bike with an almost glassy look one doesn’t meet too often.
The range figures are decent, even though the bike still suffers from the inherent problems all battery-powered bikes have to confront. A full charge will last for 150 km @ 80 km/h - 190 km @ 60 km/h - 100 km @ 100 km/h (93 mi @ 50 mph, 118 mi @ 37 mph or 62 mi at 62 mph). Speed has been limited to 240 km/h (149 mph).
The price is not fixed yet. It will depend on the battery’s price fluctuations on the market in 2014. We hope it will remain between €22,000 and €25,000 ($25,000 to $28,000 + taxes) + VAT. Energica Ego will be available for purchase in 2015.
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