How Ducati is starting to go electric (on the racetrack)

A little more than a year after the first test with professional racer Michele Pirro at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, work has begun on the Ducati MotoE, codenamed V21L, prototypes that will take part in the 2023 FIM Enel MotoE World Championship season.

The production of the electric bikes, yes electric, started in December and the 23 units will be ready by mid-February. In addition to the 18 motorbikes that will be raced, five spare units will be made available to the organisation. Each prototype is assembled by expert technicians in the Ducati MotoE Racing Department.

The start of production of the V21L prototypes represents the beginning of a new and important chapter in Ducati's history. And arguably for the motorcycle sector too.

The project was born with the aim of developing skills for Ducati’s future, maintaining the approach that has always fuelled its DNA: experimenting with technological solutions in the world of racing and working to ensure that everything developed in this area can then be used on motorbikes destined for enthusiasts all over the world.

The result of the joint work of Ducati R&D engineers and the Ducati Corse team, the V21L is the MotoGP of electric motorbikes, combining the electronic technologies and chassis dimensions developed by Ducati Corse with the design process and project management typical of a road bike.

Claudio Domenicali, CEO Ducati says: “The start of production is a historic moment for our company, which with this project is thoroughly studying the technologies of the future for the world of motorcycling. It is an important area of experimentation, in which we are investing to build know-how, so that we will be ready when battery technology should allow the creation of an exciting electric road bike with the weight, performance and range that enthusiasts expect from a Ducati.

“We are therefore embarking on this new adventure with the aim of developing the people and skills in the company to shape what the character of a future Ducati electric road bike might be. The MotoE project represents a decisive step for Ducati to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions on the product side, alongside research into synthetic fuels (eFuel) that can reduce the total CO2 emissions of internal combustion engines to zero.

“Environmental sustainability is something that all individuals and all companies must consider a priority if the delicate balance of the planet is to be preserved. Ducati is committed to this also at industrial level, and the construction of the new Finitura e Delibera Estetica area classified as Nearly Zero Energy Building is just the latest example.”

After a year of development tests that have seen Michele Pirro, Alex De Angelis and Chaz Davies take turns riding the V21L prototype, the Ducati MotoE project is getting closer to the moment when the bikes will take to the track. The first test with the riders and teams that will compete in the 2023 World Championship is scheduled for March, followed by three more test days at the Montmelò circuit in Barcelona. The race debut will take place at the French Grand Prix.

When the Ducati takes to the track it will signal yet another step in the motorcycle industry’s move to an alternative source of propulsion. Cars have tended to take the limelight in the shift to electrification, but the process is also happening on two wheel, and when firms with the history of Ducati get serious about it, you know a new path is being forged.

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