Energica electric bikes in Singapore, from RM213k

Singapore’s push to increasing electric vehicles in the island state sees Italian electric motorcycle brand (e-bike) Energica entering the market, with three models on offer for 2021. These are the Energica Ego+ at SGD 80,800 (RM250,257), the Ribelle at SGD 74,400 (RM230,434) and the Esseesse 9+ at SGD 69,000 (RM213,710).

Prices include road tax, transfer and registration fees as well as Singapore GST for an on-the-road quote but exclude insurance and COE. As for licensing, Energica e-bikes fall under Singapore’s Land Transport Authority Class 2 license class for electric motorcycles above 80 kW.

Speaking to Eugene Man, Head of Operations for Ifyni, distributors for Energica in Singapore, the introduction of the e-bike range is currently done with no assistance from the Singapore government in terms of rebates or incentives, hence the premium pricing for the brand. “We are still in the early stages of bringing the Energica brand into Singapore and looking at making this a niche product for now” says Mah.

“There is one unit of the Essesse 9+ in Singapore with a lot of interest and we shall be initially offering test rides to interested customers by invitation only,” he added. However, plans are being drawn up to have Energica e-bikes be a part of the Singapore motorcycle landscape by 2025.

“Yes, Singapore is pushing hard for electrification for vehicles by 2040, but the focus is on mass transport like trains and buses. There is a need for e-bikes in the transport eco-system but a lot will depend on charging infrastructure,” Mah says.

Mah explained that things like charging infrastructure in Singapore is at about 30% of where Ifyni would like it to be, but hopes to see big rise in infrastructure development in the near to medium term. Charging for Energica e-bikes uses a wall pack with options available from Bosch, Schneider and Ifyni current collaborator, Charge+.

“Typically, adding a wall pack for charging adds between SGD 6,000 (RM18,584) to SGD 10,000 (RM30,974) to the purchase price of an Energica, but you get fast charging of 25 minutes to full battery capacity, while charging using domestic current will take about four hours,” adds Mah, “plus there is an option of using a Tesla charger, so if you have a Tesla, you only need one wall pack.”

Plans for marketing the Energica e-bike range are being done low key for the moment, with an online presence. “We do recognise that we have an expensive product and its appeal to Singapore riders tends to be exclusive, although we have had many expressions of interest,” says Mah. As a pioneer in bringing full-sized electric motorcycles to Singapore, May is aware that in many ways Ifyni is testing the Singapore market.

Asked about expansion into the South-East Asian market, notably Malaysia, May said there are no moves as yet, but plans are always there. “I’m actually quite keen to do it if I can find the right person to collaborate with in Malaysia,” Mah says.