Ducati will provide 18 identical V21Ls for the 2023 series, taking over from current supplier Energica (which provides a modified version of its production Ego machine) and after extensive testing the company has revealed the final specifications and designs.
We’re fully expecting lap times to drop with the new V21L, not least because the Ducati will be significantly lighter than the Energica with a 225kg weight.
Almost half of the weight of the bike comes from the battery pack which, with an 18kWh capacity, is actually smaller than that of the outgoing Energica. The pack itself is made up of 1152 individual cells and Ducati says that it has taken some novel approaches to thermal management, always one of the biggest challenges on a high performance electric vehicle. The cooling system means that the bikes can be charged straight from the race track, without the need to cool down, and an 80% recharge is achieved in 45 minutes through a 20kw charging port in the bike’s tail unit.
The motor and inverter operate at a very high voltage of 800v, suggesting a filtering down of technology from the car industry, and although the headline figures (150bhp and 140Nm of torque) are relatively modest, the combination of technologies points to a very holistic engineering approach and the base of an electric motorcycle which addresses some of the usual concerns people have about electric superbikes – namely range, charge time and heat management. Ducati say that testing has been carried out by factory riders Michele Pirro, Alex De Angelis and Chaz Davies, and that the aim has been to create a throttle response in line with a traditional ICE machine. They say that the rider aids, such as traction control and wheelie control, work exactly as they do on the brand’s top petrol powered machines, and that the V21L has topped 170mph down the long home straight at the Mugello GP circuit.
The V21L’s chassis remains fairly conventional by Ducati standards. The carbon fibre case of the battery pack acts as a stressed part of the chassis, similar to the setup used with the Panigale V4 superbike engine, with a lightweight aluminium monocoque front frame bolting to the battery box. The rear subframe is also made from carbon fibre, with the rear geometry said to be similar to that of the Desmosedici MotoGP racers.
Suspension comes from Öhlins, with Superleggera-derived 43mm NPX 25/30 pressurized forks and a Öhlins TTX36 at the rear. The steering damper is an adjustable Öhlins unit, while brakes come from Brembo and have a chunky set up developed for the specific needs of MotoE racing.
Vincenzo De Silvio, Ducati R&D Director, said that the project gives Ducati a head start for when it inevitably produces its first electric production machine, saying: "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, 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 already essential today to be ready when the time comes to put the first street electric Ducati into production."