MotoGP To Have Electric Bike Racing By 2019

Dorna, the owner of MotoGP and World Superbike is planning to start a new five-round electric bike series as a support series for the MotoGP championship. Fourteen MotoGP riders and four Moto2 riders will make up the grid and the races will be 10-lap events. According to reports, the series will have a single manufacturer providing the motorcycles. So far, there's no word on which manufacturer it will be, but reports indicate as many as two brands have already expressed interest.

Dorna is keen that the new electric bike series will take off by 2019, and the organiser will look at existing teams and riders in the current GP paddock to fill the entries. The details were revealed by Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta while talking to Spanish publication Motociclismo. The series is expected to be completely carbon neutral, with host venues required to install green energy power stations, fuelled by wind turbines or solar panels.

Harley-Davidson Project LiveWire

The interest in electric two wheelers has been growing globally as the focus on cleaner emissions and greener technology seems to dominate anything related to the future of automotive technology. While development of electric motorcycles has been slow, there have been several players who have been working hard to bring the latest electric technology to two-wheelers. Currently, the only electric motorcycle racing event is the TT Zero event at the Isle of Man TT, which is dominated by Team Mugen.

In the US, Zero Motorcycles is one known electric motorcycle manufacturer, while conventional but leading manufacturers like Harley-Davidson have also dabbled in electric motorcycle production with concepts like the Project LiveWire. Recent reports indicate Polaris is also working on developing an electric motorcycle. With rising concerns over environmental issues relating to internal combustion engines, the focus is on developing sustainable cleaner energy engines, and from this development, the future of motorsport also seems to be taking a turn to be clean and green.