In a few days the 2023 edition of EICMA will begin, the most important international exhibition dedicated to the world of two wheels. This year too there will be many innovations from motorcycle manufacturers on the sustainable mobility front.
Electric mobility on display at EICMA 2023 – In a few days the curtain will rise on the 80th edition of the International Two Wheel Exhibition: from 7 to 12 November, at Fiera Milano Rho, the present and future of two wheels will be seen by thousands of people. There will be 1.700 brands present: for 28% of them it will be their first experience at EICMA, while 64% come from abroad representing 45 countries. The official start of the 80th edition of EICMA will be November 7th, a day dedicated only to the trade press, while enthusiasts will be able to access from November 9th to 12th, from 9.30am to 18.30pm.
Electric mobility on show at EICMA 2023
Year after year, electric and sustainable mobility plays an increasingly leading role at EICMA. Electric vehicles in Italy are already worth 5% of the market and are destined to increase in the immediate future, especially in urban mobility. The global market for electric two-wheelers is growing more and more, both in Europe and in key markets such as those of South-East Asia. In Europe, in the first ten months of the year, sales of electric two-wheeled vehicles, although lower than those of 2022, recorded a good trend, also thanks to eco-incentives in some states, including Italy. It is therefore natural that the presence of electric mopeds and motorcycles has become a fixed point in the most important international exhibition dedicated to the world of two wheels. So let's see which electric models we can see among the stands at EICMA 2023.
Let's start with Ducati which, after the absence of 2021, last year brought the V21L, the electric prototype with which the World Championship was contested, to the Milanese show MotoE 2023. At EICMA this year, there will be five examples of the V21L: one will be exhibited in the stand Ducati (except on Friday when the bike with which Nicolò Bulega won the supersport world championship will be displayed in its place), with the official livery of Ducati Racing. Another four will be on the stands of some technical sponsors of the MotoGP electric championship, you can find them.
Ducati it is not the only Italian company to bring electric motorbikes to EICMA. Fantic will present the E-Motard, the prototype of an electric-powered motard, at the Milan Motor Show. A motorbike designed for pure fun, which maintains the exceptional agility of the Fantic Motards motards thanks to the weight of only 95 kg, a truly low value for an electric motorbike. The autonomy is more than 130 km.
Of the four Japanese manufacturers, only one will bring electric motorbikes, Kawasaki, while the other three currently only have small scooters for urban mobility. Kawasaki's innovations are represented by two electric motorcycles, the Ninja e-1 and the Z e-1, and a hybrid motorcycle, the Ninja 7 HEV.
The Ninja e-1 and the Z e-1 are two similar models with characteristics comparable to those of small-displacement combustion engine motorcycles. The trellis frame is closely derived from that of the Ninja and the Z 400. The design of the electric models also reflects that of the Japanese brand's endothermic motorcycles. These two models were created to fit within the 125cc segment.
The Ninja 7 Hybrid is the first motorcycle Strong Hybrid with internal combustion engine and electric motor produced on a large scale. The heart of the Ninja 7 Hybrid is based on the combination of a new 451 cc four-stroke parallel twin engine, water-cooled, complete with manual or automatic gear selection, and an electric motor; an innovative combination in the world of motorcycles that offers a series of new riding experiences. The normal power of the powertrain is 43,5 kW, a value that rises to 51,1 kW thanks to the electric e-boost. In terms of size, the Ninja 7 Hybrid features a mid-sized package that offers overall performance from 650cc – 700cc.
Little is known about Suzuki, except that it is working on an electric version of the Burgmann scooter, recently presented in prototype version at the Tokyo Motor Show. Who will have something to show in the field of electric mobility is Yamaha, which launched the electric NEO's on the market last year, a scooter equivalent to a 50cc endothermic scooter, and which is preparing to bring the E01 to Europe, a model equivalent to one 125cc scooter, which is already available in Japan and Indonesia, the latter one of the key markets for electric mobility.
From the United States to Milan, Zero Motorcycles will bring some innovations that will enrich its range of electric motorcycles. Among these there is certainly the DSR / /F and SR/S, and the FXE, a futuristic road motard presented to the public in 2021.
This year Energia Motor Company will not be at EICMA but will organize an off-show event at GPOne in via Galeazzo, Milan. In the motorcycle catalog of the Modena company, its first adventure bike stands out, theEnergica Experia, winner of the 2023 award for best electric motorcycle from MCN magazine. The Experia is an electric tourer previewed at Mugello a year ago, on the occasion of the Italian MotoGP GP and the MotoE, Of which Energica was the sole supplier from 2019 to 2022. Together with Experia, Energica offers the high-performance electric sports motorcycles Ego, Eva Ribelle and EsseEsse9 in the basic and RS versions. Some of these models have recently been adopted by police units in several nations, including France.
In particular, the Eva Ribelle with Stefano Mesa's number 137 raced in MotoAmerica this year, challenging the combustion engine bikes in the Super Hooligan class.
Among the companies that will be missing are BMW; the CE 04 maxiscooter and the new CE 02 from the German company will therefore not be present at EICMA. At the KTM stand you will be able to see the Austrian Freeride E-XC and KTM's electric minibikes for children, similar bikes will also be present at the Husqvarna stand where the EE-2, EE-3 and EE-5 will be on display. Husqvarna is also working on the Vektorr electric scooter and the E-Pilen motorbike, we'll see if they will be on display at EICMA.
On the electric scooter front, there will be many new features and we will cover them in a dedicated article. It will be interesting to see the news from VMoto Soco, the result of the recent agreement with Pininfarina to develop innovative solutions in design and aerodynamics. Another stand to visit carefully will be that of NIU, a leading company in the sector. At the moment, no news is expected from Piaggio, which at EICMA 2021 brought the Piaggio 1, its first electric moped, equivalent to a 50cc, and the Piaggio 1 Active, the best-selling electric scooter in Italy in the 125cc equivalent range. Among the stands to visit we highlight that of ZEEHO, the electric brand of CFMoto. Other electric scooter manufacturers present at EICMA for some time are Yadea, with the latest arrivals M6L and T9L Plus and Horwin, with the SK3.
We also highlight the Chinese FELO, main sponsor of the Gresini Racing team in the world championship MotoE, which will present two interesting models at EICMA: the FE-06, the electric scooter used by the Gresini MotoGP team to travel around the world championship paddock, and the FW-03, which takes up the lines of the legendary Booster from the 90s.
In the "difficult to classify" motorcycle sector, we highlight the Swedish CAKE, with its iconic model, the Kalk, protagonist of the CAKE Worlds One Design Race, the international competition with the Swedish company's electric all-road motorcycles. In addition to the Kalk, CAKE also presents the Ösa modular small car and the Makka urban mobility scooter.
In the days when EICMA 2023 will take place, we will update you with posts dedicated to the main models for electric mobility.
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