Essence e-Raw: when electric meets café racer

Bruno Gomes

March 7, 2018

Essence Motorcycles e-Raw.     Photo credit: Essence Motorcycles

Internal combustion engines are still the main power source in motorcycles, but the future seems to favor alternative and environmentally friendly engines, like electric engines. Apart from the big manufacturers and medium sized companies, some smaller start-up companies are taking the role of creating new electric two-wheelers.

This is the case of Essence Motorcycles, a French company that started with two friends joining forces and building an electric café racer dubbed e-Raw.

The first time this zero-emissions café racer showed up under our radar was during the 2017 EICMA Milan Show, but since then Essence Motorcycles kept evolving the concept and are now accepting orders to build the e-Raw.

They plan to build only 10 units, each unit is built under the requirements of the client, but every bike that comes out of the factory will have premium parts sourced from Öhlins and Beringer, the materials include high-grade metals like aluminium on the hand built swingarm, and every e-Raw can offer good performance figures from the battery pack (12kW/h or 15kW/h) and electric engine: 200 km with one charge, and a top speed of 200 km/h courtesy of a power equivalent to 109 horsepower.

One thing that stands out in the technical specs already known from the e-Raw, is that Essence Motorcycles have been busy working in reducing the weight of the bike. Usually an electric motorcycle will suffer because of the added weight of larger batteries, but in the case of the e-Raw, the weight is only 167 kg. Not bad at all!

Obviously, the client of the e-Raw needs to be prepared to spend some money, and by “some”, we mean a big amount!

According to Essence Motorcycles, each e-Raw will cost a minimum of 55.000€ (around RM266.000 at current exchange rates) and the client needs to be patient because from the time the order is placed, Essence Motorcycles will take 12 months to deliver the e-Raw to the client.

You’ll need to wait 12 months to seat on the e-Raw… but when you finally get to ride this electric café racer, you’ll look really cool!    Photo credit: Essence Motorcycles

For those that have the money and patience, know that Essence Motorcycles will reward you by offering part in the company.

If you had the money, would you buy an Essence e-Raw?