It’s been a tough week for the Energica Motor Company and the rest of the MotoE community, after a fire at a paddock at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain on March 14th destroyed the majority of the motorcycles and equipment inside.
CRP Group, which provides high performance 3D printing materials to Energica Motor Company for the production of its electric motorbikes, issued a statement in support of the Italian company.
“The Energica project stems from the entrepreneurial vision of my family back in 2009,” said Franco Cevolini, CEO and CTO of CRP Group. “The CRP Group was fundamental for the industrial development of Energica since the very first prototypes, and we continue to be Energica’s technological partner.”
The blaze ripped through the newly built E-paddock at the Circuito de Jerez, where IRTA tests were scheduled for the MotoE competition. Thankfully, no one was injured in the fire, though materials, including 18 electric motorbikes, were destroyed. Understandably, the upcoming event at Jerez has been cancelled.
The MotoE, also known at the FIM MotoE World Cup, is a motorcycle race competition which uses only electric motorcycles. The fire marks a set back for the motorsport competition, which highlights renewable energy in transport. Though there was some concern that the fire was caused by the electric motorcycles themselves, MotoGP reported that none of the bikes were charging at the time of fire.
“This setback does not stop our mission, as challenges are and always will be part of out DNA,” said Livia Cevolini, CEO of Energica Motor Company. “As tenacious Italians of the Motor Valley, we are hard at work already to bring this project forward—as we strongly believe in it. We will do everything necessary to save the championship, so we’ll see you on track!”
An investigation is currently underway to discover the cause of the fire. According to CRP Group, early findings are expected to be released within the next 48 hours. A revised calendar for the MotoE races will be announced soon.
CRP Group has supplied 3D printed components to Energica for its Ego Corsa electric motorbike which will race in the MotoE World Cup. Notably, the motorbike integrates a 3D printed fairing made from CRP Technology’s Windform XT 2.0 carbon-fiber reinforced composite material.
