After wrapping its first season as the sole supplier to the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Enel MotoE World Championship, Ducati took the opportunity to share some of the statistics it recorded over the course of the season.
When you’re a manufacturer in a one-make series, the concentration clearly isn’t about outsmarting competing marques. Individual teams will of course compete against one another, but for a manufacturer, it’s all research and development, all the time.
Going into the season, Ducati’s V21L electric prototype had a total curb weight of 225 kilograms (or about 496 pounds). Of that weight, 110 kg (about 242.5 pounds) were all battery. The case for the battery was made of carbon fiber, which looks cool, is strong, and of course also saves weight. The whole thing was also liquid-cooled, which not only helped during operation, but also allowed the bike to be recharged immediately with no cool-down period necessary.
Since Ducati chose to use 21700-type cells for its battery pack, it was able to distribute those tiny cells in a very particular way. By utilizing the full space available within the bike, engineers were able to focus on the important stuff: Mass centralization and weight distribution. What kind of weight distribution did they achieve? How does 54 percent at the front and 46 percent at the rear sound?
Gallery: Ducati V21L Prototype - 2023 FIM Enel MotoE World Championship
How did the competition go? Eight different riders out of a field of 18 won at least one race. Ten of them podiumed at least once. As far as spectator excitement goes, a total of four riders were still mathematically in contention for the world championship rider’s title at the start of the final round of the season in San Marino.
Overall, Ducati reported a 2.2-second average lap time improvement over the 2022 season. One of the V21L bikes hit a top speed of 282 kilometers per hour (about 175.227 mph) at Mugello during the Italian GP on June 10, 2023. Ducati built a total of 23 V21L prototype machines for use in the MotoE paddock this season, with 18 going to teams and five kept aside as spares in case of emergency.
What will the 2024 season bring? How will Ducati develop its electric race machines during the off season? Only time will tell—but we look forward to seeing what the future holds.
