Back in October, 2021, Energica Motor Company CEO Liva Cevolini said that the brand was focused on expansion into new markets. If you’ll recall, that was about a month after American electric vehicle technology company Ideanomics had purchased a 70-percent controlling stake in Energica. At the time, Cevolini was talking about motorbikes—but there was also more going on behind the scenes.
By March, 2022, Energica unveiled its newest division, Energica Inside. True to the Ideanomics electric vehicle technology umbrella that Energica now nestles under, the purpose of EI is to provide electric solutions to other manufacturers. As Cevolini had said, this isn’t about automotive solutions—those are happening on their own. At the same time, the tech also isn’t restricted to powered two-wheelers, either. Prior to the Ideanomics deal, Energica tech was already powering boats through its partnership with Sealence.
Fast-forward to December, 2022, and Energica motorcycles are now poised to go on sale in two new markets to start the 2023 calendar year. Both Japan and the Australia/New Zealand markets will begin to see Energica machines flow through each country’s distribution channels, including the Eva Ribelle, Ego, and EsseEsse9+.
"Japan is a key market for us. Energica's presence in Japan was sealed in August at the eight-hour Suzuka Circuit where our bikes were acclaimed for their performance during the numerous test laps at this prestigious and world-renowned endurance race. Our partnership with Estar & Co., Ltd. in January 2020 has also improved our efforts in developing our Asia-Pacific network,” Energica Motor Company CEO Liva Cevolini said in a statement.
Motorcycle sales in both Japan and Australia/New Zealand are on the rise. By Ideanomics’ accounting, over 83,000 motorbikes over 250cc were sold in Japan in 2021—and over 100,000 were sold in Australia and New Zealand (combined).
Add to that the fact that the overall number of currently registered motorbikes in Japan is over 10 million, plus the rise in overall demand and infrastructure for electric vehicles, and it’s not hard to see why Energica and Ideanomics are keen on this timing. Although it doesn’t give exact numbers, Energica says that it’s sold 78 percent more motorcycles overall in 2022 year-on-year, as compared with the same time period in 2021, as of December.
