We take A Look at the Electrifying Energica Esse Esse 9.
Fossil fuels, in the near future, will be just that – fossil fuels. You’ll probably have anthropologists studying them and categorizing them for displays in museums across the globe. The future isn’t far away and its definitely time to bid farewell to good old gasoline.
If you’re one of those naysayers, the Energica Esse Esse 9 will change your mind.
The Esse Esse is a “superbike” that comes from a small plant based in the same place where all good automotive things come from – Modena, Italy. You see, what makes the Esse Esse unique is that it’s an all-electric bike. Mind you, when we say “bike,” we aren’t referring to the commuter variety.
This is a real bike – the kind that gives randy teenagers a hormonal rush. If you were to look at it, you’d even think this was something straight from a Ducati or Aprilia factory.
More importantly, it moves like one too, thanks to a chain drive. Yes, you heard that right – the Esse Esse is chain driven and enjoys all the mechanical appeal of a typical big-bore superbike.
But, what about performance?
If you’ve read a thing or two about electric engines, you’d know not to ask that question. But, since you asked, the Esse’s electric engine puts out 109 horses and 135 pound-feet of torque. You see those torque figures? That’s typical for an electric engine, and it’s higher than anything on the market right now, barring a handful of examples such as the Triumph Rocket 3, which only beats the Esse because of a 2.3-litre engine. But, the Rocket’s weight and fuel consumption figures make the Esse look like something that’s time-travelled from the future.
The good stuff doesn’t end there
The Esse Esse is also sophisticated, living up to that whole thing about Italian design or whatever. It’s got the best suspension setup from Ohlins. Its brakes are from Brembo, and the wheels are forged units from OZ. Oh, and the seat? Pure leather. Hand stitched.
To top it all off, there’s a smartphone app that controls the bike via Bluetooth. Of course, none of this comes cheap. Get ready to cough up a solid £19,500. But, every penny you spend is worth it.
Ride
Riding the Esse is like riding a cloud. Thanks to the instant torque, courtesy of the electric engine, the bike starts moving with just a slight twist of the throttle. All the weight you sensed when you got on disappears once you pick up the pace. Oh! …and the pace picks up sooner than you’d expect.
There’s no clutch here. You don’t need that in an electric vehicle. Clutches are for old people. In the future, we use the throttle and the brakes.
Twist the throttle, and you’ll feel the sides of your face start to stretch. That’s the beauty of electric engines. They deliver power on request. However, with the Esse, that power isn’t unbridled, thanks to the Brembo brakes.
Then, the sheer weight of the motorcycle ensures that pot holes and other rough patches on the road are hardly felt.
To conclude, the Esse Esse 9 gives you a taste of what the future could look like and the future looks exciting. That argument about electric engines being dull? Well, you know where that goes now.
