Monday, November 14, 2011

CRP Racing “Energica” Unveiled At EICMA 2011

Usually new technology seen in racing eventually trickles down to consumer vehicles after a few years of development and testing. What happens then when an entire motorcycle makes the transition from race bike to street bike? The answer is the $20,400 Energica, an all-electric sportbike from Italian manufacturer CRP Racing.
If the CRP name sounds familiar that’s because the company campaigned the FIM e-Power and TTXGP circuits this year aboard the eCRP racebike, earning runner-up status and winning the European championship. Wanting to promote a green alternative to consumer transportation, the Energica is CRP Racing’s first concept of an electric streetbike using the lessons learned from the past two seasons racing electric motorcycles and 40 years of motorsports involvement altogether.
Power comes from a PMAC synchronous motor with permanent magnets putting out a claimed 100kW. According to our crude math skills, that comes out to 134 hp! Equally impressive is its torque figure: 16Kgm, which is almost 116 ft.-lbs. CRP Racing claims the Energica can hit 137 mph and has a range of 93 miles (though we highly doubt that’s at 137 mph). Brembo provides the stopping power with radially mounted calipers up front mated to 310mm discs. Out back sits a 220mm disc. CRP Racing lists Matris and Marzocchi as shock and fork providers, respectively, though it also lists Ohlins as providers of both components. We assume this means there will be different trim levels available, with the Ohlins bits saved for the higher-end model.
On paper, the Energica shows a lot of promise. Combined with the Italian flair for style, the final production version has potential to be a looker that actually performs. But for now CRP Racing insists it is still in the development phase.

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