Energica Motor Company auctioned off in Italy

There’s a heck of a garage sale happening in Italy, according to New Atlas and other moto news outlets. That’s because the recently bankrupt Energica, the Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer, is having all of its assets auctioned off in court.

And, according to our news sources, Energica’s assets are going for quite a deal. The question is: Who is willing to gamble on the electric segment right now after many electric OEMs have gone belly up in the past two years? Companies like Alta, Cake, Fuell, UBCO, and others have filed for bankruptcy recently, and others look to be on the brink of going under. However, some, like Zero Motorcycles, have been picking up steam.

Is there a legacy brand interested in taking a flyer on Energica’s assets? The price is undoubtedly affordable in terms of what it costs to be an OEM. But then again, if Energica, once the darling of the electric world and a partner with MotoGP for its attempt into an electric class, can’t make it work, who can?

The company is currently set to be auctioned off as a single lot (although the deadline was in March). The company’s property will be sold, including unfinished and prototype motorcycles, intellectual property, name, branding, and virtually everything inside the Energica facility. A list of eighty pages of items that accompany the sale is included in the auction price. But you have to translate it from Italian. ADVRider.com reports that even small items, such as coffee machines and metal hangars, are included in the auction lot.

Energica was 75 percent controlled by the American fund Ideanomics Inc., which announced to its board on October 14, 2024, that it resolved to enter into a bankruptcy judicial liquidation.

Officially founded in 2014, with a design phase that began in 2009, Energica established itself over 15 years as a benchmark for high-performance electric mobility, demonstrating resilience and innovation.

According to court documents, the total assessed liquidation value is $716,393 (USD) for tangible assets, which is only part of the company’s actual value. The rest of the value is in the company’s intellectual property, certification and homologation, dealer network and distribution, market presence, and the potential turnaround of the brand.

The Italian government is starting the bidding at $3.5 million (USD), which seems relatively inexpensive for essentially an OEM in a box. You’d still need a staff of engineers, marketing and sales, and so forth… So, it may be more in play for an already established brand. Any takers? Although we’ve been fooled before, this is probably not an April Fools joke.

Energica’s website states the submission deadline was March 19, with the public auction on March 20, but we haven’t heard of a sale being recorded yet. We’ll stay tuned for more on this one.