Ducati today issued a press release with photos and a video of their MotoE prototype in action. The video and press release appear below:
Ducati MotoE: it's time to see it in action!
- The development path of the Ducati MotoE project is proceeding at a rapid pace with continuous progress shown during the tests which in this first phase are taking place at the main Italian circuits
- Former world championship rider Alex De Angelis, riding the bike in the first dynamic video, joins the Ducati family with the role of test rider for the "V21L" prototype
- The video showing the Ducati MotoE in action on the Vallelunga circuit is available on the YouTube channel and on Ducati’s social media profiles
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 15 April 2022 - A video showing the first images of the Ducati MotoE prototype in action is online on the YouTube channel and on Ducati’s social media profiles (link to the video here).
Since the first track test, carried out at the Misano World Circuit in December 2021, the development of Ducati’s first-ever electric bike has proceeded relentlessly through analysis of the collected data, technical developments and numerous tests carried out internally and at major motorcycle circuits.
Roberto Canè, Ducati eMobility Director: “Ever since we took the Ducati MotoE prototype to the track for the first time, development work on the project has never stopped, not even for a moment. The hard work of the whole team is paying off for the efforts made through continuous progress, which is giving us great satisfaction. In just four months, our prototype has already tackled the curves of some of the main Italian circuits, providing positive responses. There is still a lot of work to do, but the direction is certainly the right one”.
In the dynamic video, shot on the Vallelunga track, the Ducati MotoE bike is in the hands of former world championship rider Alex De Angelis, who took part in the 2019 edition of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup and who is very familiar with this world. De Angelis has officially joined the development team, which among its test riders can also count on the experienced Michele Pirro, the first man to ride the prototype.
The path that will take the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer to the role of sole supplier of motorcycles for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup (the electric class of the MotoGP™ World Championship) starting from the 2023 season, is proceeding with great enthusiasm both on the track and in Borgo Panigale, thanks to the teamwork that is involving numerous company areas.
The "V21L" prototype comes about from the close collaboration and constant exchange of know-how between Ducati Corse and product R&D to create a motorcycle that is both highly performing and with a lightweight benchmark target for an electric motorcycle.
The MotoE project is undoubtedly an important step in the history of the company as it represents the start of the Ducati electric era . Over the next few months, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer will share further information on the technical evolution of the bike and on the subsequent steps concerning this fascinating and ambitious project.
Comments
Breeding of a new Ducati
Pretty exciting stuff, this. For years, Ducati management avoided talk of developing electric two-wheelers beyond e-bikes. Such a dramatic leap from the folding, 250 watt (!!) MG-20 to the V21L in such a short period must be due to parenting from Audi R&D and the likes of Audi's Formula E racers and the RS Quatro e-tron (even though the Dakar e-tron is technically a hybrid). Do we know any more about the VW/Audi DNA of the V21L?
Also unique and clever, perhaps even brilliant, is this strategy of creating a racing machine first and then presumably developing a production machine from lessons learned. Seems to me:
Gives a whole new meaning to race on Sunday, sell (give birth?) on Monday.
Looks
Certainly the best looking electric. When they equal an ICE in total performance and weigh 430 pounds or less, have at least a 400 mile range, and can quick charge to 80% in less than 5 minutes (and is reasonably affordable) I’ll consider getting one.
In reply to Looks by Tanker Man
Understood, but...
... this is exactly how we get from "here" to "there".
In reply to Understood, but... by Merlin
there to here
You're the expert. Me, I'm just sick of the pretense that racing electric machines provides proof of corporate greenness. I'm also sick of governments dictating what technologies we must use. Would love to see pollutants taxed according to the cost to remove them. Yes, this includes mining waste, water source damage from fracking, etc. Remove all subsidies. Figure out a way to tax for road use that is platform independent. Then, let companies make products priced according to real costs and people decide which tech is better. Certainly this would mean a variety of different technologies and would change over time.
What this represents is forced change and offshoring pollutants to poor countries so the rich world can feel good about themselves. This turns my stomach.
These issues are not simple but have been sold to us by both governments and corporations as such. Ignorance is bliss, problem is I can't forget what I already know. Interesting how the words change but the underlying message is always the same: You can be green by consuming new things.
In reply to there to here by Joshua Melanson
Gov says buy Diesel cars!
I recall the uk government in the 90's told everyone to buy Diesel cars. How's that working out by the way?
whatever the gov tells you to do, it's worth looking into things & you might possibly come to the conclusion that doing 180 degrees the opposite of what they're peddling!
However, thinking for yourself is not in the interest of gov or corp interests!
In reply to Looks by Tanker Man
400 miles?
Would you only ride an ICE motorcycle that had a 400 mile range? And are there many times that you need to ride for 400 miles, and then need to do another 400 miles with only a five minute break in between? Maybe I'm old, lazy and driving on four wheels, but I've not found it much of a hardship to stop for a coffee and a toilet break every two hundred miles
In reply to 400 miles? by stopadoodle
Agree Mostly/Mostly Agree
The thing about an ICE bike is you can gas it up in about a minute. As far as I know it takes hours to charge an EV.
In reply to Agree Mostly/Mostly Agree by Tanker Man
Swapsies
I'm pretty sure that I saw the major motorcycle manufacturers had signed an agreement about a swappable battery format, which could make 'recharging' possible in minutes.
Oh yep, here it is: https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/electric-motorbike-swappable-batter…
Having said that, filling a vehicle here takes about a minute.... until you hit that last 99cents of petrol then it goes painfully slooooow.
Racing is an environmental disaster
We should all go back to racing 2-strokes. With all that smoke you never forget that racing is dirty and environmentally damaging.
In reply to Racing is an environmental disaster by Joshua Melanson
2-strokes
Hear hear. Also a 2-stroke on the pipe through the gears..
In reply to 2-strokes by TZnRDracer
Lovely sound, that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWlujDKZn_E
In reply to Lovely sound, that by larryt4114
Bangin' gears
Hahaha. Thanks Larry!!
In reply to Lovely sound, that by larryt4114
Perfect on so many levels!
Now excuse me while I fire up my 125 for a trip to the store.
Nice teaser...
It's not that hard to imagine track days full of electric Ducatis in the near future. I can see the Bologna brand's engineering prowess and racing credibility easily shattering any remaining hesitance from a well-heeled rider looking for something to raise eyebrows around a track.
We are going to have these
We are going to have these regardless of our thoughts and feelings.
Just waiting to hear weight, power and range specs. Until then it is blah blah blah. I think Pirro said some corporate line crap, and that he thought it was light and fast. Compared to what?
I see the off road mtn bike/motocross electric as a tempting thing. Silent. Can pass as a bicycle re where it can go. Hell yes!
My friend just came over w her new Nissan Leaf. Bloody nightmare getting it charged, already negatively impacted our plans 2 out of 2 times. Dislike. Zero interest.
Someone brought me an electric scooter asking help fixing it. It was UNBELIEVABLY heavy - cannot exaggerate, it was over double what I would have guessed. And SLOW. Useless. I resented it even being in the shop for a week.
I don't think in my lifetime we will be moving past our gasoline bikes. Thank goodness.
Consumers can do everything possible and the dent in pollution is minor. (Heck, I used to run biodiesel in my prev 3 cars, some post consumer recycled veg oil). It is industry primarily, and a small number of very big polluters. Go do something there please public policy people before you kill my sportbike or racing bikes.
My footprint is TEENY
In reply to We are going to have these by Motoshrink
Don't worry Shrink, if we
Don't worry Shrink, if we just close our eyes and wish for the magical solar panel and wind turbine fairy to deliver them for us in bulk, with the magical spell of course allowing us to skip smelting the steel and aluminium to build them, the plants, factories, transformers, inverters, batteries, city/rural network, and maintenance.. we might just turn this thing around. I would prefer all of that manufacturing to happen in third world countries as well please so that I can turn a blind eye to it and not have to deal with the conspiracy theory that some Trump supporter Nazi alt-right Qanon's like to call - reality. Also - only the white-middle class should pay the carbon-tax so that we can be inclusive and avoid any racist, homophobic and socio-economic policy that may slow down our progressive march towards Utopia.
Now sports.
I can't wait to plug my e-bike into the wall and charge it with that sweet sweet coal juice so that I can feel better about myself and have a talking point at my next family BBQ where we only eat synthetic Monsanto meat.. for the environment. Getting calories from all of those "natural sources" can go jump in the lake. My guru, William Gates told me all about it on a Youtube video. Don't @ me - I only cancel conservatives, not listen to their views, what do you think this is? Democracy? Ha!
Side note: My post-military life is spent doing permaculture design. Dead set most of the permaculture/sustainable design folks are generally less alarmist than the Twitterati types as their existence is based on observation and finding and designing for solutions, not sitting around complaining online for upvotes and likes. Fear is now a virtue, so you better get used to the autistic screeching about anything that may affect anybody's safe space into the future. I personally think that we should just cancel all MotoGP rider and airline pilot contracts for their own safety and for their health! Screech!
In reply to Don't worry Shrink, if we by D999
Third World
We in Australia might not produce the brightest MotoGP riders or politicians, and we don't have much of a manufacturing industry, but calling us a third world country just because we are good at producing battery materials is going a bit far I think. We do have quite decent environmental controls on mining too, even if there is always room for improvement.
^ Believe it or not, this
^ Believe it or not, this resonates w me. And it's funny.
(Fun to read between the lines)
It's funny...
There's not a single thing in this press release about environmentalism or changing our habits, but you sure wouldn't know it from the comments. What's that word again ... Triggered?
Aaaaanyway - the bikes look great and they are only going to get faster and lighter. Looking forward to watching the racing. All of it.
E-Bikes
a while back Kevin Cameron wrote an article regarding e-bikes (must admit to bias, would probably read his grocery list). Lucidly explained a lot of stuff regarding power generation, battery`s and electric engines. I found it very enlightening. Never said anything was impossible but a LOT of things needed to improve in leaps and bounds before any significant real life usage would be viable. 200 mile range would be adequate, not that many bike do much more than that now. I see the refuel time the big deal. City usage entirely different thing, refueling still an issue timewise, how vast would service stations need to be?
Thanks for reading Beame12
In reply to E-Bikes by Beamer12
I've just started shopping
I've just started shopping for an E-mountain bike after reading our discussion. They are spendy!
Connected with a local small high performance builder of E-bikes. They have several styles. Mostly "fast and far" bicycle transpo replacements for urban young people. They also make what starts looking like a full suspension cross country style mountain bike, but the wheels are big and fat and strong. Suspension can be beefy. They are very fast! Not unreasonably heavy.
Almost silent, and pass as a bicycle. So...cool! I would still want my pitbike scooter. And my mini scrambler. And my two motorcycles. But, the Ebike future has a place I love. Huh! Going to work out a deal for a demo/employee owned used one I hope. Then off to the singletrack trails. Will set up a way to charge it off of a deep cycle 2nd battery charged by the van. That runs on gas.
;)
Got to be a late April fools day joke
If it's electric, what are the big coolers for?
In reply to Got to be a late April fools day joke by Richard
Serious question?
Electric motors, and electronics, generate heat… this is no mystery.
In reply to Serious question? by v4racer
Dad jokes?
I think Richard might be fishing for one of these?
"Those make the SHOOSH/wheee noises. They can't put cards in the wheel spokes."
"That is the Elon Musk transmitter dish, he has them all on remote to be controlled for parity during a race...every single bike is going to tie for first. Sponsors demand it."
"The salad box chiller, they have meats and cheeses now."
"The charging cord is wound up and stored there."
"It is just a sticker, they will have headlight ones too."
?
In reply to Serious question? by v4racer
As much heat as an ICE? those
As much heat as an ICE? those are as big.
Late to the party
and I love my ICE bikes, will probably never buy a Zero for all the reasons commented on above, but most of the E-Bike criticism seems to repeat over and over, in the most short-sighted way, here at MM as elsewhere. Yeah, batteries and electricity are not as pure as the driven snow, and e-bikes are not as practical as current bikes. Yet.
Just stop worrying about it and enjoy what you have. Change is OK. Accept that, however imperfect, this is what happens next, it is an important step in the right direction, and the next generation will love an electric motor, as they brake, lean, and accelerate just as we do.
Cars sucked when they were beginning to replace horses, and the good citizens of Vanuatu won't care if the electricity isn't pure when their country falls below sea level.
In reply to Late to the party by St. Stephen
Ditto
What he (St. Stephen) said. Change can be good. Change gives us options; trying new things enables us to make smarter choices.