450 km tour with the Energica Eva

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450 km tour with the Energica Eva
Zep Gori

450 km tour with the Energica Eva

Under power

Over the Alps on a motorcycle – no big deal. Unless it’s an electric motorcycle. Then the day tour from the Dolomites to Munich becomes almost an adventure trip.

Card invalid. ”In disbelief, I stare at the display at the loading point in Bolzano, where I buy the Energica E.especially wants to feed with electricity. That can not be! Just yesterday I bought the charging card from the South Tyrolean energy provider Alperia, the credit is barely touched. And yet the stupid white box doesn’t want to give out any energy.

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450 km tour with the Energica Eva

450 km tour with the Energica Eva
Under power

Energica accompanied Eva to the first charging station. Like many other bikers, he doesn’t really trust the new electrical engineering.

I, on the other hand, had decided quite carefree and spontaneously to take Eva from the Dolomites to Munich. After all, we are in Central Europe, electricity is everywhere here. Ideally, of course, at quick charging stations, where Eva fills up its batteries in just under half an hour; The manufacturer Energica has also equipped its panniers with a charging cable for normal sockets. So what’s going to go wrong??

Unexpected much. When planning the route, it turns out that there is not enough fast electric refueling on the route over the Brenner. One in Sterzing, but unfortunately exclusively for Tesla. Well, I’ll just drive over the Reschen and Fernpass and otherwise make my way through small streets. I want to recharge for the first time in Bolzano, just over 50 kilometers after the start. The batteries actually last a lot longer, but since my experience with electric motorcycles is limited, I prefer to be careful. But where exactly is the charging station in Bolzano? The Internet suggests three different addresses, only a call to the operator Alperia brings clarity. I want to start as early as possible, because the heat wave in Italy should reach a new peak. But then the landlord of our bed and breakfast puts a spanner in the works. At night, without being asked, he clamps an extension cable between Eva’s charging cable and the socket. With the result that the batteries don’t fully charge, I have to add more in the morning and leave later than planned.

Next obstacle: the motorcycle consumes too little! After 50 kilometers downhill, the batteries are still 87 percent full, but charging only works below 85 percent. So I do a few extra laps in scorching hot Bolzano before I hopefully head to the charging station. And now the bankruptcy with the card! A call to the operator’s fault location solves the problem, Alperia refills the batteries free of charge and ensures that the card is now working again. Zep says goodbye, somewhat calmed, and I continue on my own on tiny country roads. Admittedly, mostly with braked foam so as not to draw too much electricity. Only 30 kilometers before the next gas station in Mals do I let the Energica off the leash – and immediately get excited about its extremely direct reaction and enormous torque. So it should go on forever, if you like.

But it doesn’t, the short range takes its toll. The petrol station in Mals is already quite out of the way – no chance to drink something cold while it is charging. For this I take a break on the banks of the Reschensee. As always with a stop on the electric motorcycle, I am immediately surrounded by curious people who ask countless questions. My travel cut goes there completely.

It’s similar in Landeck, where Google leads me to fast charging. But where is it exactly? A parked delivery van blocks my view, but the motorcycle dealer Thomas Sailer, who lives next door, shows me the way. And of course also has a lot of questions, with a cappuccino time flies by in an instant. Talking about electricity instead of gasoline, so to speak. You don’t even need a charging card for this electric tank, the operator asks for a few euros as a contribution towards expenses on a sign. The enthusiastic Thomas Sailer even does that for me. An electronic tour like this has some pitfalls, but also many interesting encounters.

Morally and physically strengthened, I continue to climb over the Fernpass to the deep green, attractive Plansee. Why have I never been here before? Apparently a designated charging station is needed first to let me discover such beauties. In the hotel “Ammerwald”, which belongs to BMW, the staff provides all kinds of help. Jessica at the reception provides me with information and a non-alcoholic wheat beer, her colleague Thomas quickly moves the BMW i3 that is currently on the charging cable, making room for my motorcycle. I could even stay the night, they say, if I’m too tired to drive on.

The empty, winding route is more than just a bed. Eva and I tackle them with full batteries, it tingles in the gas hand as well as in the stomach. After 30 brisk kilometers, I am sobered to find that I only have 60 percent charge left. Immediately I slow down again, the next electric tank I know of is the Hohenrain motorway service station. Until I get there, except for the last two kilometers always on winding Upper Bavarian streets, it is dark. The electricity is free, but the charging station is far from the petrol station in the completely dark parking lot – it’s not really fun to stand there for half an hour.

The days in Munich make up for that. There are plenty of charging stations, and inner-city speed restrictions due to air pollution control create a slight feeling of superiority – with noisy vehicles like the Energica, they wouldn’t be necessary. No question about it, the electric motorcycle electrified me. I would love to bring it back to the manufacturer in Modena by axle. Unfortunately, there is almost no fast electric recharging south of Lake Garda. So I surrender and regretfully Eva to Gerhard Ziegler, manager of Energica in Munich. I take the train back to Italy. At least it also runs on electricity.

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Eva Breutel, Italy correspondent for MOTORRAD, on the pros and cons of electric motorcycles

It would be best to say it right away: I am fascinated by the Energica Eva. This unbelievable torque almost from a standstill, this enormous pressure, hardly that you turn the throttle grip, this uncomplicatedness in winding curves – that is pure driving pleasure. And I find the ability to adjust the strength of the engine brake really exciting. Of course there are disadvantages, in addition to the high price, this is primarily the short range of a good 100 kilometers in practice; I charged five times on the 450 km trip. A little less would have been enough, but fast charging stations are still few and far between and there is no information portal in which everyone is recorded. Some operators also require special charging cards and the location of many charging stations does not add to the joy either, because drinking coffee while the batteries are being charged almost never worked on my tour due to the lack of supply. It seems that users of electrical energy are still a kind of pariah who should be sidelined.

But let’s not kid ourselves: As remote as electric motorcycles may currently appear, the technology will come. Politicians have obviously already decided in favor of electromobility, and that doesn’t stop at motorcycles. To be honest, I don’t mind either. I don’t miss any rattling valves or load change reactions. I can even make friends with the much-criticized high-frequency howling of the motorcycle. And screwing has never been my thing, which is why the low-maintenance engine is welcome. Above all, I want to ride a motorcycle. That works just as well with an electric motorcycle as with a gasoline engine. As soon as there are enough fast charging stations, there is little to prevent this. After 100 kilometers on the country road – and that’s where motorbikes belong – I take a break. And recharge my batteries just like those of the motorcycle

Electric two-wheelers in Europe

The current range of motorcycles and large scooters with electric drive is currently limited to a few examples in Europe. Since MOTORRAD has not yet tested them all, the technical data on the left for performance, weight, range and charging times correspond to the information provided by the manufacturer and relate to the most powerful model and the fastest charging option. However, the range depends crucially on the driving style and is often well below the manufacturer’s specifications.

Energica ego

The sporty version of the Eva. Manufacturer: Energica from Modena / Italy, 100 kW (136 PS), 195 Nm, range: up to 200 km, charging time: from 0.5 h, weight: 258 kg, price: from 30,400 euros

KTM Freeride E-XC

From the original three models, KTM only builds the Enduro with Euro 4. 16 kW (22 PS), 42 Nm, range: approx. 50 km, charging time: from 1.5 hours, weight: 108 kg, price: 11,295 euros

BMW C evolution

BMW spiced up the range of its e-scooter with batteries from the i3. 35 kW (48 PS), 72 Nm, range: approx. 160 km, charging time: from 2 hours, weight: 275 kg, price: 15 150 euros

Johammer J1

The Johammer from Austria characterizes self-constructed batteries. 16 kW (22 PS), range: approx. 200 km, charging time: from 1.5 hours, weight: 178 kg, price: from 24,900 euros

Zero S / SR

In addition to street models, Zero also offers enduros and a supermoto. 52 kW (69 PS), 146 Nm, range: up to 325 km, charging time: from 3.1 h, weight: 208 kg, price: from 21 285 euros

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