The 2023 Ducati Electric Motorcycle (Ducati MotoE) is the result of the joint work of the Ducati Corse team and the Ducati R&D designers, led by Roberto Canè eMobility Director Ducati, and was brought to the track by Michele Pirro, Ducati test rider since 2013, who tested the technical characteristics and the potential of the first 2023 Ducati electric motorcycle.
The most critical challenges in developing an electric racing motorcycle are related to the batteries’ size, weight, and range. The declared target of Ducati is to make available to all participants of the MotoE World Cup electric motorcycles that are high performing and are characterized by lightweight. The stated focuses of the project, in addition to performance, are weight containment and constant power delivered over the race, also achieved thanks to the attention to the development of a cooling system fit for the purpose.
“Testing the 2023 Ducati Electric Motorcycle on the circuit was a great thrill because it marks the beginning of an important chapter in Ducati history,” related Pirro, who has been testing Ducati racebikes since 2013. “The bike is light and already has a good balance. Furthermore, the throttle connection in the first opening phase and the ergonomics are very similar to those of a MotoGP bike. If it weren’t for the silence and for the fact that in this test, we decided to limit the power output to just 70 percent of performance, I could easily have imagined that I was riding my bike.”
Ducati eMobility Director Roberto Canè has led the R&D engineers in the project and is understandably enthusiastic about the 2023 Ducati Electric Motorcycle (Ducati V21L): “We are experiencing a truly extraordinary moment. I find it hard to believe it is real and still not a dream! The first 2023 Ducati Electric Motorcycle on the track is exceptional not only for its uniqueness but also for the type of undertaking—challenging both for its performance objectives and for its extremely short timescales.
Precisely for this reason, the work of the whole team dedicated to the project has been incredible, and today’s result repays us for the efforts made in recent months. We are certainly not finished yet. Indeed, we know that the road ahead is still very long, but in the meantime, we have laid a first important ‘brick’.”
As is always the case with motorcycles powered by electricity, the battery pack presents the most substantial obstacles. Maximum effort is being put into reducing the size and weight of the batteries while increasing range. “Ducati’s goal is to make electric motorcycles that are high-performance and characterized by their lightness available to all FIM Enel MotoE World Cup participants,” according to a company statement.
The 2023 Ducati Electric Motorcycle (Ducati V21L) is the company’s most significant step toward producing a street motorcycle for consumers. “The goal is to create, as soon as the technology allows it, a Ducati electric vehicle for road use that is sporty, light, exciting, and able to satisfy all enthusiasts,” Ducati said in a statement.
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