Davinci

Davinci DC100 goes global

Davinci's DC100 electric superbike has been making waves in its Chinese homeland for a couple of years, but it made its European debut at EICMA last November and reached the North American market with an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

While other electric bikes tend to mimic the look of conventional, combustion engine models, the DC100 revels in its different approach, with tessellating bodywork that gives an origami look, like a 3D model made with a low polygon count. Under that angular skin, the DC100 hides a 17.7 kWh battery pack that also serves as the bike's main chassis structure, in line with the latest trends in electric bike design, feeding a 100 kW (135 hp) electric motor that manages an impressive 627 lb-ft of torque (850 Nm). Davinci claims a 0-62 mph (0-100 kmh) time of three seconds and a top speed of 124 mph (200 kmh). 

With so much torque on tap from the moment you open the throttle, the 240-section rear tyre isn't overkill, although the huge single-sided swingarm probably doesn't need to be quite so bulky, and no doubt contributes to the DC100's slightly hefty 255 kg mass. It's supported by a Bitubo monoshock, with matching forks at the front, while the radial brakes are supplied by Brembo.

Performance isn't Davinci's only selling point. The company also talks up the DC100's rider-assist technology. Combined brakes - there's just one lever and no foot controls - are assisted by cornering ABS and there's a suite of electronics including hill start assist, lean-sensitive traction control, regenerative charging for the battery and hill descent control. The DC100 will even travel backwards at up to 5 kmh to help park. Instead of a TFT dashboard like most rivals, the Davinci uses the rider's own mobile phone, held in an adjustable bracket, as both its key and its instrument panel, and the company promises over-the-air updates for the bike's technology, claiming that future developments will include auto-parking and even the ability to self-balance for an autonomous riding mode.

European prices start at € 26,000, while US customers will pay $27,500, with deliveries scheduled to start in mid-2023.