In 2019, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme held its inaugural season of the Enel MotoE World Cup. Thus far, the all-electric MotoGP class has been a single-make series where every rider competes aboard an Energica Ego Corsa, however, this will soon change when Ducati takes over these duties and begins providing its own track-only race bikes for the MotoE class. And after showing off initial renders back in October and then sharing photos of the machine being tested in December, the Borgo Panigale brand has now fully revealed its FIM MotoE race bike with what’s been christened the V21L.
Aiming to deliver the high-performance nature of Ducati’s petrol-powered superbikes in a fully-electric package, the V21L’s chassis, powertrain, and running gear have been co-developed by the Ducati Corse race team and the Italian marque’s factory research and development department and features numerous never-before-seen innovations surrounding the e-racer’s motor, battery pack, and inverter. The V21L also wears a full set of carbon fiber bodywork that was designed by Centro Stile Ducati — the brand’s style center. Weighing in at 496lbs, the V21L puts down 150hp (110kw) and 103ft-lbs of torque, allowing for a top speed of over 170mph.
Powering the bike is an 800-V, 18-kWh battery pack that boasts 1,152 cylindrical 21700-type cells and weighs 242.5lbs. Capable of receiving an 80% recharge in only 45 minutes, the battery is also housed in a carbon fiber case, utilizes a wildly-advanced and incredibly innovative cooling system, and is paired with a lightweight 11-lb inverter derived from high-performance race vehicles. Just like with the Panigale V4’s engine, the V21L’s carbon fiber battery pack case serves as a structural member of the bike’s chassis, connecting its aluminum monocoque front frame to its lightweight 10.6-lb swing-arm and subframe — the very latter of which is made from carbon fiber and integrates the motorcycle’s tail, seat, and charging port into its design. Other highlights include a 43mm inverted Öhlins NPX 25/30 pressurized fork derived from the Superleggera V4, an Öhlins TTX36 monoshock, and MotoE-specific Brembo GP4RR M4 brakes.
The Ducati V21L MotoE race bike will make its competition debut in the 2023 season of the Enel MotoE World Cup where each of the 18 riders will be competing on the newly-revealed factory-built EV. We also anticipate some of the features, systems, and technologies from the V21L to eventually trickle down to Ducati’s forthcoming electric production motorcycles.
