I currently own a 2016 Zero SR with over 14k miles on it. Previously had a 2014 SR with 24K miles on it. I recently bought a 2018 Energica Eva 107 and currently have over 1300 miles on it. Here is a comparison report.
The Eva 107 is Energica’s street fighter electric motorcycle. At first glance you don’t even realize it is an electric motorcycle as the body panels conceal the battery and motor very well. If there is any doubt about the size of this bike as you walk around the rear of the motorcycle you notice the 180/55/ZR17 rear tire. Parked next to the Zero SR’s 140/70/-R17 it looks absolutely massive. As you walk around the front you notice the dual Brembo front brakes. The suspension up front is handled by Marzocchi 043 mm shocks. The front fender is carbon fiber as is a section under the rear seat. Previously Energica had offered a carbon fiber upgrade kit but for 2018 has put two major pieces as standard. Nice touch.
Swinging a leg over the Eva 107 you become fully aware this is a full size motorcycle. Turning the key causes the dash to light up as well as a series of LEDs in the tank area. The dash reveals an amazing amount of information on the screen and by scrolling through you realize there are three more screens! The Zero SR’s screen can display up to 18 bits of information. The Eva’s screen basic screen reveals 28 bits of information and there is more on the following screens. If you like lots of information on the dash you will love the Energica.
Regen: Regen on the Eva can be set in four positions, off, low, medium and high. On high it is significantly stronger than the Zero and in many ways it becomes your primary brake. In other words you roll the throttle on to go and you roll it off to stop. It doesn’t take long to be able to modulate the regen, the more you move the throttle closed the more regen. With regen set on high you will rarely use your brakes. The brake light will also flash as the regen slows the bike down.
Power: No doubt about it, the Eva’s 145 HP and 148 ft lbs of torque far out shines the SR’s 67 HP and 106 ft lbs of torque. The Eva pulls a lot harder than the SR all the way to the top of its range.
Charging: CCS charging is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First time I used it I was at 18% SOC. It took 17 minutes to add 50% and took 22 minutes to reach 80%. Tapering starts slowly at 70% SOC but by 95% SOC you are still charging at 7kW. I have twin Elcons for my SR so able to charge at 6.3 kw which still means two hours or so. The one downside to the Eva is the L2 charger is only 3kW so if you have to use L2 instead of CCS you might be there for over 3 ½ hours.
Maintenance: Zero wins here. The Eva has a liquid cooled motor, liquid cooled invertor, and a gearbox with oil in it that has to be checked and occasionally replaced. It also has a chain drive.
Range: This is where the Zero SR smokes the Eva. I thought Zero was rather “optimistic†about their range figures but Energica is far worse. Energica claims the Eva has up to 125 mile range in Eco mode. I have discovered you will only get that if you don’t exceed 25 MPH. WTF?
? At 55 MPH don’t expect much over 60 miles. I am hoping more miles and warmer temps helps the range.
Brakes: The Eva has Brembo’s which not much needs to be said about them except if you like lots of regen you will rarely use them. The brakes on the 2016 SR are far better than what I had on the 2014 but even with the regen turned all the way up you will use the brakes on the Zero far more than you ever will on the Eva.
Tires: The Eva tire sizes mean you have a full range of tires available to put on it. The SR has small tires and a very limited selection. I don’t expect tires to last very long on the Eva though.
Modes: Eva wins here. The Eva has Eco, Rain, Urban, and Sport. The SR has Eco, Custom and Sport. I just keep it in Sport mode. The Eva has Regen modes of Off, Low, Medium, High. You can also turn off the ABS. Zero allows you to teak the regen between closed throttle and brake. This may work better for some people though.
Battery Sizes: Easy to be confused here. Energica says it has a 11.7kW battery, Zero claims 13.0kW battery. But the Energica’s 11.7kw is what you have available. The Zero’s 13.0kw is total size. Actual battery size of the Eva’s battery is about 13.5 kW. I have the Power Tank on my SR so combined have 15.8 kW. But the actual amount available is just over 10.5kW on my SR.
Low SOC: At 1% SOC the Eva goes into Limp mode and an icon lights up on the dash and power it cut. I have always been close to home in a 25 MPH zone so can only say trying to go faster than 30 mph is not easy. At 3-4% SOC you can still do 60-65 MPH with the EVA. The SR will cut power at low SOC but it is a lot more random as to when power gets cut. Yes the 2016 SR is far better than the 2014 SR was but I found the Eva to be extremely predictable at very low SOC and the 2016 SR isn’t.
Handling: Eva wins by a long shot here. This is not about just the difference in suspension. As I said earlier the Eva is very much a full size motorcycle and handles like one. The SR is a lot smaller motorcycle and for some people this may be a better fit. But for me it is a lot easier to move the Eva around and I am more comfortable do it than I am on the SR.
Neat bits: The Eva has reverse. Very easy to back up an incline. This is also important given the weight (620 lbs) of the Eva. The Eva also has 90 degree air valve stems. Can’t forget dual lighted USB charging ports on the Eva.
Conclusions: No question the Eva costs more than the SR but you also get a lot more. Far more power and far faster charging, better handling. The Eva allows single grip control of power and over 90% of your braking due to regen. I like the size of the Eva as the SR always has seemed small. A lot of times I find myself comparing the Eva to my KTM 1290 SA which is truly another beast of a machine. But the Zero has far better range than the Eva. Based on statements on Energica’s web site and comments on this forum I expected a lot more range. But I knew the risks of being an early adopter, I gambled and I lost. So far I can commute on it so at least I can put some miles on it. Hopefully more miles and warm temps will get me better range. If you love the SR but are wanting a more of everything then take a look at the Eva. The Eva is an SR on a massive amount of steroids and lives up to its street fighter image and style. Just make sure you can accept the limited range.
