Ducati V21 L MotoE prototype
From 2023 Ducati replaces Energica as the sole provider of bikes for the FIM MotoE World Cup, that supports MotoGP, and this is the machine that will race in the series - the V21 L. Ducati has previously released images of the V21 L undergoing tests, but the company has now given the bike a full reveal.
The specs include a 150 hp electric motor and a total weight of 225 kg, 12 kg less than the original specification demanded by Dorna and the FIM. Torque peaks at 140 Nm, which is more than a Panigale V4. During Ducati's tests, the V21 L hit a top speed of 275 km/h.
Like the 'Arrow' platform adopted by Harley-Davidson's LiveWire electric bike spin-off for its new S2 Del Mar, the Ducati V21 L uses its 18 kWh battery pack as a structural component, but where the Arrow platform wraps the battery in an alloy monocoque, the Ducati uses a carbon fibre shell to provide its strength. A cast alloy subframe is bolted to the front to hold the steering head.
Like the Triumph TE-1 electric prototype, the battery is made of '21700' cells (21 mm in diameter, 70 mm long) - the same type used in Teslas and laptop batteries. A total of 1,152 of the cells are packaged into the battery pack, which weighs 110 kg - around half the bike's total.
Where Triumph has adopted a 50 kW charging system, enabling 20-minute refills, the Ducati V21 L has a 20 kW charge socket and takes 45 minutes to take the battery from 0% to 80% capacity.
The electrical system on the bike runs at 800V, going from the battery to an inverter under the seat and then to the AC drive motor, which spins at up to 18,000 rpm. The motor and battery each have their own cooling systems, as each works best at a different temperature range.
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Vincenzo De Silvio, Ducati R&D Director, said: "For Ducati, having the opportunity to become suppliers of the FIM MotoE World Cup is not only a technologically exciting venture, but also the best way to interpret the challenges of the new millennium. Racing competition represents the ideal terrain on which to develop innovative technologies that will then transfer to production motorcycles. At this moment, the most important challenges in this field remain those related to the size, weight and autonomy of the batteries, and the availability of the charging networks.
"Ducati's experience in the FIM MotoE World Cup will be a fundamental support for product R&D, together with the physiological evolution of technology and chemistry. Helping the company's internal expertise to grow is essential to be ready when the time comes to put the first street electric Ducati into production."
Aside from the frame and the electrical system, the V21 L's components are largely conventional racing kit. The forks are Öhlins NPX 25/30 units, allied to a TTX36 rear shock, and there's a steering damper from the same company. It's all off-the-shelf kit, as used on Ducati's Superleggera V4 superbike. Brembo supplies the brakes, with 338.5 mm front discs that are thicker than usual and internally finned to help improve cooling.
As on Ducati's other race bikes, traction control, slide control, wheelie control and selectable throttle and braking maps are used. Ducati says that it will be years before it makes a production electric bike for road use, but by the time it goes 'Go Street', the R&D it will get from the MotoE series, with 18 identical bikes competing at each event, means it will have thousands of miles of testing under its belt in the toughest of conditions.
