Ducati released a new video of its first electric motorcycle, the V21L, and this time around the Bologna based premium motorcycle manufacturer has revealed many technical specifications about the electric motorcycle. The Ducati V21L is set to make its FIM MotoE World Cup debut in 2023, and Ducati will be the sole supplier for the series, replacing Energica which was contracted with the electric-motorcycle racing series till 2022.
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The electric superbike is designed by a team of Ducati and Ducati Corse designers, and the motor has a peak output of 148 bhp (110 kW) and 140 Nm of torque. The motor is sourced from a partner, weighs just 21 kg, and has a maximum rotation speed of 18,000 rpm. Despite being an all-electric motorcycle, the overall weight of the bike is just 225 kg, making it 12 kg lighter than the minimum weight requirement imposed by Dorna and FIM. Almost half of this weight comes from the battery pack alone, which is an 18 kWh unit that weighs 110 kg. This pack contains 1,152 cylindrical cells of the “21700” type, and is supported with an inverter that weighs just 5 kgs.
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The battery pack can be charged from a 20 kW charging socket in the tail, and the bike can be charged from 0-80% in just 45 minutes. What enables these quick charging times are some of the “most advanced technical solutions tested on the Ducati MotoE”, which are its cooling systems. The electric motorcycle is cooled by a particularly sophisticated and efficient liquid system with a double circuit designed to meet the different thermal needs of the battery pack and the motor/inverter unit, providing “consistency in performance and charging times”. Due to this reason, the Ducati V21L can be charged as soon as it enters the garage, and doesn't need to wait for the battery pack to cool down. The battery pack gets a carbon fibre case which also acts as a stressed part of the chassis.
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“A few weeks ago I had the extraordinary opportunity to ride the Ducati MotoE on the track and I immediately realized that I was living in a historic moment", said Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO. "We agreed with determination to develop the most performing electric racing bike that current technology makes possible and to use this project as a laboratory in which to build our future. The result we have achieved is surprising”, he added.
Talking about being the sole supplier for MotoE, 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”. “I remember the birth of the MotoE project and every phase of the composition of the work team well, with the involvement of Ducati Corse colleagues and the search for contacts within the Volkswagen Group who could give us suggestions on how to develop this project”, Roberto Canè, Ducati eMobility Director added. "The initial brief was to create a racing bike that respected the minimum performance characteristics required by Dorna. As a matter of fact, this project has made and is making the whole team involved fall in love and is pushing us to create a bike with better characteristics than initially requested by the organizer ".
Apart from this, the bike also features Öhlins NPX 25/30 pressurized USD forks up front which have a 43 mm diameter, and are derived from the Superleggera V4. An Öhlins TTX36 fully adjustable shock absorber at the rear completes the suspension setup. As for the brakes, the MotoE challenger features Brembo double steel discs at the front which have a 338.5 mm diameter, and has increased thickness to incorporate internal fins to aid in better disc cooling. Operating this disk are two GP4RR M4 32/36 calipers supported by a PR19/18 radial master cylinder. The rear brakes feature a single 220 mm disc which has a 5 mm thickness, and has P34 caliper biting it, supported with a PS13 master cylinder. Teams can also choose to equip their bikes with an optional rear brake control positioned on the left handlebar, which the rider can use as an alternative to the pedal one.
