Ducati unveils its MotoE for 2023: The V21L

Just two months after being announced as the exclusive manufacturer of the MotoE World Cup starting in 2023, Ducati has unveiled the V21L, its electric motorcycle. It was Michele Pirro, test driver for the Bologna brand, who had the honor of being the first to take to the track aboard this prototype on the Misano circuit. 

This V21L is the fruit of the work of the Ducati Corse team and Ducati R&D engineers, led by Roberto Canè, director of Ducati eMobility. “We are experiencing a truly extraordinary moment,” explains the Italian. I can't believe this is reality and no longer a dream! The first electric Ducati on track is exceptional not only for its unique character, but also for the type of project: a challenge both for the targeted performances and for the extremely short deadlines. It is precisely for this reason that the work of the entire team dedicated to the project has been incredible and today's result rewards us for the efforts made in recent months. We are not finished. Indeed, we know that there is still a very long way to go, but in the meantime, we have laid an important first “brick”. »

For his part, Pirro obviously said he was delighted with his first contact with MotoE which he already compares to his MotoGP. “Testing the MotoE prototype on the circuit aroused great emotion, because it marks the beginning of an important chapter in the history of Ducati,” confides Pirro. The bike is light and already has good balance. In addition, the throttle connection in the first opening phase and the ergonomics are very similar to those of a MotoGP. If it wasn't for the silence and the fact that during this test we decided to limit the power to just 70%, I could have easily believed I was on my bike. »

⚡️ Catch a first glimpse of the Ducati MotoE bike that will race in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup from 2023 👀! Our Test rider @PirroRider took to the track at @circuitomisano and completed the first laps aboard the new prototype!#ForzaDucati pic.twitter.com/s26P892fSQ

- Ducati Corse (@ducaticorse) December 20, 2021

The challenges linked to the development of an electric racing motorcycle lie in its size, weight and autonomy. In our columns, Nicolas Goubert, executive director of the MotoE World Cup, clearly underlined that for Ducati “the challenge is to do 15-minute races which are suitable for all the circuits on the calendar and to make a bike a little more lighter than what we have today. » According to the press release, the objective stated by the factory seems to meet these requirements since it is “to make available to all competitors in the MotoE World Cup high-performance electric motorcycles characterized by their lightness. At the center of the project are, in addition to better performance, weight control and stability of the power delivered during the race thanks to the attention paid to the development of a suitable cooling system. »

Ultimately, Ducati intends to use this experience to develop an “electric vehicle for the road, sporty, light, exciting and capable of satisfying all enthusiasts. »