Happy New Year. We’re kicking off 2023 by giving you a look at what’s ahead here on EV Rider.
First off, congratulations to EV motorcyclists Sabrina Batchelor and Rick Flashman. The Florida couple just finished riding their brand new Energica Experias across the country from San Francisco to Orlando, including a New Year’s Eve celebration stopover in New Orleans.
They are the first Floridians to take delivery of the new sport touring machines. They flew out to California to pick them up rather than wait for them to be shipped back to Euro Cycles of Orlando.
Rick is also under the impression they are likely the first individual customers in the world to take delivery of the Experias, which have so far primarily been loaned to journalists for riding evaluations.
If you’re not familiar with the Experia, it’s currently the king of the hill when it comes to motorcycle touring EVs with the industry’s biggest battery at 22.5 kilowatt hours as well as Level 2 and DC CCS fast charging.
Once Rick and Sabrina get settled back in, I’m hoping to catch up to them to on my Zero Motorcycles SR/F for a full-blown episode on their Experias.
You can read more about Rick and Sabrina’s journey on their Facebook page, including the charging issues they experienced in some parts of the country.
It’s a topic that many of you obviously care about since my Experia versus Zero Motorcycles SR/S tale of the tape episode was the fifth most watched video on the EV Rider YouTube channel in 2022.
Speaking of high interest topics, more than 400,000 of you had watched my ride along at last check in the Canoo EV Lifestyle Vehicle.
I’ll be following the EV startup closely in 2023, including taking a look at Canoo’s fourth quarter earnings report as soon as it becomes available.
Canoo expects to begin volume production of about 20,000 EVs in 2023, delivering them to fleet customers like Walmart and Zeeba. It’s also accepting preorders from the general public.
While startups like Canoo, Rivian, Lucid and others have been receiving a lot of attention, the legacy automakers certainly haven’t been standing still.
More than 16,000 of you watched my review of the 2021 Mini Cooper SE EV, which my wife Susan owns. It’s one of the most affordable EVs on the market.
Mini is expected to fully unveil its next-generation Cooper EV this year and start deliveries in 2024. It will also be expanding its EV lineup with a vehicle very similar to the Aceman EV concept shown here.
Based on the stats, EV Riders are also excited about a next-generation rivalry brewing between Chevrolet and Ford. The EV Rider tale of the tape between the upcoming Chevy Blazer EV and existing Mustang Mach-E EV was the fourth most watched video in 2022.
Ford has already built more than 150,000 electric Mustangs and plans to boost annual Mach-E production to 270,000.
Electric motorcycling is a big part of EV Rider, so it’s no surprise that my review of the Brake Free Helmet Light checked in as the third most watched video on the channel last year.
After two years, I’m still rockin’ the Brake Free and can give it a hearty recommendation as a wise riding safety investment.
2023 promises to be the biggest year yet for EVs with electric vehicle sales accounting for 5.6% of the total automotive market in the final quarter of 2022, according to Kelly Blue Book.
Here in Jacksonville, FL we’re kicking off the new year with forming a new Drive Electric chapter that is bringing together EV advocates in a public and private partnership. You can learn more about the initiative at the Florida Drive Electric website.
Here’s hoping 2023 is the best year yet for all of us. Let’s live life one spark at a time and enjoy the ride.