The latest generation of electric MotoE race bikes has entered production with Ducati.
Ducati's new MotoE racer, the V21L, has entered production with the full field of this year's MotoE machines expected to be completed by next month.
The production run of the "prototype" bikes started in December and in all, there will be 23 bikes produced by mid-February. That number includes five spare bikes in addition to the 18 that will be raced, with the spares expected to be made available to the MotoE organisation.
Each prototype is assembled by expert technicians in the Ducati MotoE Racing Department with the same process, precision and attention to detail typically used to build a MotoGP bike.
The start of production of the "V21L" prototypes represents the beginning of a new and important chapter in Ducati's history. For the Bologna-based company, this project was born with the aim of developing skills for its future, maintaining the approach that has always fuelled Ducati's DNA. That being experimenting with technological solutions in the world of racing and working to ensure that everything developed in this area can then be used on motorbikes destined for enthusiasts all over the world.
Ducati claims that the V21L is the world's most technological, refined and sophisticated electric motorcycle, with the design being the result of the joint work of Ducati R&D engineers and the Ducati Corse team.
V21L is the MotoGP of electric motorbikes, combining the electronic technologies and chassis dimensions developed by Ducati Corse with the design process and project management typical of a road bike like the Panigale V4. It is the combination of the best skills of the two worlds, racing and production, a prototype with which Ducati experiments in a world yet to be discovered, that of electric sports bikes.
“The start of production of the Ducati MotoE is a historic moment for our company, which with this project is thoroughly studying the technologies of the future for the world of motorcycling,” Ducati’s CEO, Claudio Domenicali, explains.
“It is an important area of experimentation, in which we are investing to build know-how so that we will be ready when battery technology should allow the creation of an exciting electric road bike with the weight, performance and range that enthusiasts expect from a Ducati. We are therefore embarking on this new adventure with the aim of developing the people and skills within the company to shape what the character of a future Ducati electric road bike might be.”
After a year of development tests that have seen Michele Pirro, Alex De Angelis and Chaz Davies take turns riding the V21L prototype, the Ducati MotoE project is getting closer to the moment when the bikes will take to the track. The first test with the riders and teams that will compete in the 2023 World Championship is scheduled for the 6, 7 and 8 March at Jerez, followed by three more test days on the 3, 4 and 5 April at the Montmelò circuit in Barcelona.
The race debut of the new breed of MotoE machines will take place at the French Grand Prix on Saturday, 13 May.