From Friday, 11th April, teams and riders of the 2025 MotoE World Championship will carry out three days of pre-season testing at the Barcelona circuit. There are many new features to test: the modified Ducati V21L, new tires and new charging systems.
The 11 MotoE season, the seventh since its debut in 2025, officially starts on Friday, 2019th April. The pre-season test of the MotoGP electric class is hosted at the Circuit de Barcelona. Over the course of three days, teams competing in the MotoE World Championship will have ten 15-minute sessions at their disposal, as well as a qualifying session and a race simulation.
To understand what new features the 18 riders will try on the Catalan track, we asked Nicolas Goubert, Executive Director of MotoE. Goubert outlined three main areas on which the test will focus: the evolution of the Ducati V21L, the new Michelin tires, and the new charging systems supplied by EVESCO and no longer by Enel.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What new features will we see in the test of MotoE 2025 in Barcelona?
Let's start with the bike. The main novelty of the Ducati V21L concerns the battery that, in 2025, will be 8,2 kg lighter, thanks to new NCA cells with an energy density 10% higher than the cells used so far. The overall capacity of the battery remains unchanged, equal to 18 kWh, but the number of cells decreases, which go from 1152 to 960. As a direct consequence, the overall weight of the motorcycle decreases.
The new version of MotoE by Ducati for 2025 it will therefore weigh just over 215 kg (216,2 kg to be exact) and will have lap times three to four tenths lower than those recorded last season, bringing it even closer to Moto2 performance.
The innovations, although important, are not limited to the battery pack alone. Other changes have been studied by Ducati to reduce weight and improve the range and performance of the V21L.
One of these concerns the rear rim. Up until now, a traditional rim designed for the assembly of rubber shock absorbers had been used. From 2025, the Ducati electric will mount a special rear rim that is slimmer and tapered in the hub area, without a shock absorber. This modification will reduce the weight by 0,6 kg and reduce the gyroscopic effect of the rear wheel. The chain will also be of a different type, lighter, more resistant and efficient, so the V21L will be able to deliver one more HP than the previous solution.
The geometry of the bike also changes slightly, as a result of two modifications: the horizontal advancement of the front wheel thanks to different steering bushings and the approach to the pivot of the rear tire. The bike is therefore 4 mm longer and with the central body further back. These modifications will bring significant advantages, especially in braking: in this phase, the bike will be more stable and will allow more incisive braking and more 'inside' the curve. All this without compromising traction during acceleration.
Significant changes have also been made to the electronic controls, thanks to the benefits of the development carried out by Ducati Corse in MotoGP. After the introduction of adaptive traction control with tire wear and new maps for ride-by-wire and engine braking in 2024, traction control by sectors will be added this year. This feature will allow riders to select a different traction control map for each of the four sectors into which the track is divided.
As for tires, Michelin will bring a further evolution of its tires made mostly with recycled and eco-sustainable materials. The percentage of these materials now exceeds 50% both at the front and rear.
In Barcelona, for the first time ever in the history of the MotoE, we will not see Enel technicians and their charging systems. Enel has been a constant presence in the paddock of the MotoE since 2019. Now, however, the Italian electricity company has decided to take a new path and invest in other types of sponsorships. This has led to the lack of motorcycle charging systems and the energy management system that Enel, in recent years, had provided to make up for the shortcomings of the electricity networks of many circuits where the MotoE has run. For those who want to learn more about the impact of Enel's farewell on MotoE, we refer to this post: https://www.epaddock.it/una-nuova-sfida-vitale-per-la-motoe/
From this year, in the paddock of the MotoE, we will see the battery chargers of Evesco, a company of the American group Power Sonic. These are industrial chargers available on the market, completely different from those of Enel, which were specifically designed and manufactured for the MotoE. Evesco chargers (EVMO Dual model) are smaller and lighter than those supplied by Enel and reduce the complexity of the paddock charging system. The electrical energy for the motorcycles will be supplied directly by the electrical system of the circuits on the calendar of the MotoE, thanks to an electrical line capable of transferring the 550 kW of peak power needed to recharge the motorcycles.
The teams and riders of the MotoE World Championship 2025
On the riders' front, all the protagonists of the past season have been confirmed, while six rookies have been announced. Among these, Lorenzo Baldassari, a rider with great experience, stands out.
2025 will see a new team make its debut in MotoE; this is Rivacold Snipers Team, which takes over from the Tech3 E-Racing team. The Italian team, also involved in Moto3, has chosen for its debut in the electric class of MotoGP, Nicholas Spinelli, in his third season and the Hungarian rookie Tibor Erik Varga.
Many new faces also among the mechanics. 2025 will see the debut in the paddock of the MotoE of 18 new technicians.
Here you can find all the teams and riders of the MotoE World Championship 2025:
Dynavolt Intact GP: Hector Garzò and Lorenzo Baldassari
LCR E-Team: Mattia Casadei and Eric Granado
Felo Gresini MotoE rider: Matteo Ferrari and Alessio Finello
Aspar team: Jordi Torres and Kevin Zannoni
Rivacold Snipers Team: Nicholas Spinelli and Tibor Erik Varga
Ongetta Sic58 Squadra Corse: Tommaso Occhi and Raffaele Fusco
MSi: Oscar Gutierrez and Jacopo Hosciuc
Klint Forward Team: Maria Herrera and Andrea Mantovani
Aruba Cloud MotoE Team: Alessandro Zaccone and Luca Bernardi
The three days in Barcelona will not, however, be simply a test for new components. Given the limited track time during the official rounds of the championship, the teams need to find a good base set-up during the tests, to have a clear direction of development during the championship. Starting from Friday we will see who will be the riders who will find the best balance between new bike and new tyres first. On Epaddock.it you will find daily updates on the tests of the MotoE to Barcelona.
MotoE World Championship 2025
The calendar of MotoE 2025: 14 races and the novelty of Balaton Park
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