Motorcycle specifications DucatiV21L MotoE 2022 Doubling the future

ducati is preparing its entry into the world of electric motorcycles. Not with a mass-market model like the Zero, or a premium model like the Harley Livewire, but in a field more in line with its DNA: competition. To this end, in 2023, the V21L prototype will make its debut in the MotoE championship, alongside the GPs.

since its inception, the FIM MotoE has only hosted Energica Ego Corsa bikes. These Italian motorcycles will have to pass the baton to Ducati, which presents itself as a conqueror. Stingy with specifications, the Bologna-based firm must nevertheless present a real cannonball if it is not to disappoint the many curious onlookers.

indeed, the Ego Corsa is already showing its sharp teeth, with a power output of around 150 hp and an enormous torque of over 21 mkg. The V21L must rise to the challenge. Its 21 kg engine also delivers 150 hp and revs up to 18,000 rpm. Don't stick your fingers in; there's 800 volts of juice in the system. Torque isn't quite as enormous as we'd imagined, but still delivers 140 Nm, just a little less than an old 1299 Panigale.
The Ducati seems to be in the same league as the Energica, but with around 30 kilos less to pull.

a closer look at this taut, responsive sports bike reveals Öhlins suspension components and fearsome Brembo brake calipers. A 43 mm pressurized NPX 25/30 inverted fork and TTX36 shock absorber. The whole braking system is impressive. The calipers are GP4RR (pure racing) controlled by a PR19/18 master cylinder and bite huge 338.5 mm-diameter discs. Enough to crush the rim after rooting the tire. At the rear, a 220 mm disc is activated by a P34 caliper and PS13 master cylinder.

the swingarm, reinforced from below, is huge - a sine qua non for absorbing the force discharged by the electric motor. For electronic assistance, Ducati has injected its traction, wheeling and glide controls, as well as engine mapping identical to that used by Ducati racing drivers.

the next MotoE actress has done a great job on weight. This is the bête noire of electric motorcycles. It's impossible to present a high level of performance without going light, and we at the editors assumed that 250 kilos would have been enough. The result is far more surprising: the V21L weighs in at 225 kg. When you consider that the battery alone can carry 110 kilos, you can imagine the extraordinary potential of the day when a technological revolution takes place in the field of storage. This powered pistarde is 12 kg lighter than the minimum requirements imposed by Dorna and the FIM.
The aluminum monocoque frame weighs just 3.7 kg, the swingarm no more than 4.8 kg. Carbon is used for the self-supporting rear shell, battery casing, fairing, (fictitious) tank cover, mudguards and a few other parts.
As for autonomy, big unknown. The only data available is the 18 kWh battery capacity. The information we've gathered from our results with Energica allow us to estimate a range of around twelve minutes. As for recharging, the electron stock can be recharged to 80% in 45 minutes.

Like many others, Ducati is thinking ahead to the new era of motorcycles, which will have to do without fossil fuels. Will it be 20 years from now? in 30 years? Tomorrow? In a future we will see, that's for sure. A future that will never erase the thrill of Bologna's rumblings, but won't necessarily be sad; just a different way of riding. The V21L will be the laboratory for preparing a new chapter of compèt' for the brand. With a synergistic transfer to its future road productions.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos