Italian race bike manufacturer, CRP, this week at the EICMA trade show in Milan has unveiled their long-awaited "Next Gen Superbike", called the Energica. The company has a long history in motorcycle racing, and beginning in 2010 they began racing their eCRP electric race bike in both the TTXGP and e-Power electric motorcycle race series. For months they have been teasing us on Twitter about their ideas for a "next generation superbike" that, oh by the way, is electrically powered. The Energica is beautifully styled as only the Italians can do, has top notch superbike components, and an electric drive train based on two years experience racing electric.
The Energica is a 100% electric street-legal superbike. It has a 100 kilowatt "PMAC Synchronous Motor" (permanent magnet, AC Synchronous), a top speed of 136 miles/hr, and a rated range of 93 miles. (No word on if that's city range or highway range) They use Brembo brakes front and rear, OZ forged aluminum wheels, and Ohlins shocks. The price starts at 15,000€ (over $20,000 US at todays exchange rates) and no word whether it can be shipped to or registered in the U.S.
The motor design is a departure from the eCRP race bike. The last two TTXGP/e-Power racing seasons the eCRP 1.2 and 1.4 designs used two brushed DC motors from Agni Motors, with a total power rating of 52 kilowatts. This followed the design of the other two-motor race bikes from Mavizen, Agni, and others, where the motors were mounted facing each other connecting to a common output shaft. The Energica instead has a single AC motor rated at 100 kilowatts power (or about 130 horsepower). This is more than double the power of the eCRP 1.4, and as an AC motor should be more efficient than the eCRP's DC motors. Synchronous motors have the characteristic that their speed (in RPM's) is related to the input frequency of their power source. Usually synchronous motors are used where a fixed speed is required, and to use one on a motorcycle must require the controller to vary the frequence of the power it sends to vary the motor speed.
They did not say, but presumably in the 2012 season they'll be racing in TTXGP and e-Power with the Energica design.
They have two years of solid successful experience in racing electric motorcycles. In the 2010 racing season CRP won the TTXGP Europe crown, and was the runner-up TTXGP World Champions (being beaten by their rivals, Meunch Racing). In the 2011 season they were the runner-up, again to Meunch Racing.
The Energica as a "limited edition" at this time, and requires a 1500€ reservation fee.
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