Ducati rolls out its first electric race motorcycle called V21L
Ducati has revealed its MotoE electric race motorcycle which was also taken to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli recently. The company also added that starting from 2023 season, it will become the sole supplier of motorcycles for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup which is the battery-powered or electric class of the MotoGP World Championship.
Ducati's new electric race bike prototype has been code-named "V21L" which has been developed under the joint work of the Ducati Corse team and the Ducati R&D engineers, led by Roberto Canè, Ducati eMobility Director. The motorcycle was taken to the test tracks by Michele Pirro who has been the company's test rider since 2013.
Roberto Canè, Ducati eMobility Director: "We are experiencing a truly extraordinary moment. I find it hard to believe it is reality and still not a dream! The first electric Ducati 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'."
The Panigale maker said that one of the biggest challenges faced by it while developing its first racing bike was related to the ‘size, weight and range of the batteries.’
Needless to say, the company will be utilising its racing experience in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup as a fundamental support for product R&D for its road bikes. The technology evolved from this racing experience will help shape the company's road bikes for the future.
