Without a doubt, one of the coolest things about electric motorcycles (and EVs more generally) is the promise of instantly accessible torque. Even on bikes with a relatively low top speed, the fact that you can access that power any time you want is its own special kind of intoxicating.
So naturally, you might figure that a fast and powerful electric bike, such as a 2022 Energica Eva Ribelle RS, is probably going to do great things at a drag strip. For those unfamiliar with this bike, it makes a claimed 126 kilowatts (or 171 horsepower) and 222 newton-meters (or 164 pound-feet) of torque. Factory-quoted top speed is 125 miles per hour, and zero to 60 time is 2.6 seconds.
This bike, for those unfamiliar, uses Energica's latest and greatest EMCE motor and inverter, along with its much larger 21.5 kilowatt hour battery. The curb weight of the bike is 573 pounds, which certainly isn't a featherweight. However, the EMCE motor and inverter is a full 22 pounds lighter than the unit that Energica previously used, and the form factor also allows for a lower center of gravity than was previously possible.
With all that in mind, how did the Eva Ribelle RS do at the drag strip? When YouTuber New Zeroland pulled up on his bike, he planned to let a buddy put it through its paces on the strip. The first run set a flat 11-second time down the quarter mile, and some other runs were in the neighborhood of 11 seconds as well.
At one point, though, man and machine managed to set a 10.9-second time. They were then told by officials not to get into the 10s again, because apparently you need a special license if you're going to race in the 10-second or less quarter mile range. That's right; they were reprimanded for going too fast at the strip! Time to frame that piece of paper, I say.
Over the course of the day, they also experimented with turning the traction control level down a little more each time. At one point, they turned it down a little too much, and the bike visibly became quite squirrelly at the start. Luckily, it was recoverable, and still made it down the quarter mile in one piece.
The 800-Mile Road Trip
To get to the drag strip, New Zeroland re-ran an approximately 800-mile road trip that he'd previously taken on his 2020 Energica Ego. The Ego had a smaller battery pack, and so it took more charging stops along the way in order to go the distance. With the new Eva Ribelle RS, it's possible to go longer between charging stops.
Another thing that New Zeroland wanted to find out was whether the charging infrastructure had improved since he took that first trip. He was pleased to note that it has, with fast charging stations from at least five different providers to be found along the way. There was still at least one station that didn't work, but for the most part, it was nice to see the infrastructure improving.
Track Bans On Electric Motorcycles
One other thing that NZ brought up was an update about the state of taking EVs to track days in New Zealand in 2023. Initially, he'd hoped to be able to do some track days with the Eva Ribelle RS, but he's since noted that multiple New Zealand tracks are currently banning all EVs from running at the track. The reason? Potential fire and safety concerns on the part of some track owners.
Sanctioning body Motorsport New Zealand currently has a set of rules in place for electric and hybrid vehicles, and says that they can run at "permitted events." However, as NZ notes in his video, each individual track seems to also have its own stipulations about what vehicles can and cannot run, and some don't feel equipped to safely respond to EV fires if someone bins their Tesla or Energica at the track.
That's New Zealand, but what about other places?
If you've noticed EV bans at your local track, we want to hear from you. Drop us a comment or an email, and please let us know if it's electric motorcycles, all EVs, or something else. And thanks!
