CRP Racing Debuts Energica 2012

The Energica has a claimed power output of 136 hp good for a top speed of 137 mph and a range of about 93 miles.

From Italy’s Motor Valley, an area steeped in motorsports history as home to companies like Ferrari and Maserati, came the first electric Italian racing motorcycle, the eCRP. The electric superbike, created by the CRP group, would make the rounds on the electric motorcycle racing circuit over the next couple of years, competing in both Europe and America. With professional road racer Alessandro Brannetti at its controls, the eCRP was crowned the 2010 TTXGPEuropean Champion and earned the title of Vice World Champion competing in the FIM e-Power series. 
CRP Racing has taken the knowledge it amassed over the past years of developing its competition-bred superbike to create an electric superbike made for the street called Energica. CRP cites a desire to deliver green technology to the street as well as the track as motivation for developing its new electric street bike. The Energica made its debut at EICMA Tuesday with members of the FIM and California racer Shelina Moreda on hand for its unveiling. Moreda raced the eCRP 1.4 at Laguna Seca in the FIM e-Power International Championship. 

Energica is powered by a PMAC synchronous motor with a claimed power output of 100kW (136 hp) and a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph). CRP claims it has a range of 150 km (93.2 miles) but it didn’t list information about the battery, particularly battery life and charging time. The eCRP 1.4 race bike uses a lithium-polymer 7.4 w/h power supply based on 92.5 V Lipo batteries which weigh in at 52 kg (114 lbs). No weight of the Energica was given either, which isn’t surprising since the motorcycle which debuted at EICMA is a prototype, but the eCRP superbike was listed at a svelte 160 kg (352 lbs). 

Shelina Moreda, who raced the eCRP 1.4 at Laguna Seca, was on hand to promote the unveiling of CRP's production electric superbike, the Energica.  

As it’s still in the developmental stage, CRP lists both Marzocchi and Ohlins as fork options, with Matris or Ohlins providing the rear suspension. And while the Energica’s suspension arrangement is still up for speculation, its brakes supplier has been locked in. Dual radial mount Brembo calipers mounted on 310mm dual floating discs are charged with stopping duties on the front while a single 220mm rear disc with a single fixed caliper pulls duties on the rear. If the chassis is comparable to the eCRP 1.4, it will be a cast aluminum frame with a cast aluminum swingarm. It will run on OZ forged aluminum wheels, 3.50 X 17” on the front and 5.50 X 17” on the rear. The instantaneous burst of torque provided by electric motors will be doled out via a ride-by-wire throttle system while a digital multi-function LCD display will keep riders abreast of speed, miles traveled and range. 

Coming from a region known for its exotic sports cars, CRP did an excellent job of injecting the Energica with the strong lines you’d expect from an Italian manufacturer. Its nose, front fairing and tank are sharply angled, its tail and subframe sit high above the rear wheel and small, intense LEDs sit on either side of the bike’s beak. The absence of an exhaust still takes a bit to get used to, but CRP was smart enough to fashion up an attractive faux gas tank so it mirrors the aesthetics of a standard combustion-powered motorcycle as much as possible. Overall, it looks sleek and fast. Despite still being in the developmental stage, CRP is already taking orders for its electric-powered production superbike at a price of 15,000 Euros ($20,424 Stateside). Check out www.energicasuperbike.com for more information.