The MotoE World Championship is a laboratory for the electric evolution of the two-wheel world. This is demonstrated by the progress of Ducati V21L, which, for 2025, will be lighter and more performing. We talked about it with Roberto Canè, director of Ducati E-Mobility, in this exclusive interview for Epaddock.
The MotoE World Championship is a competition that proposes two main areas of technological evolution. The first concerns the architecture of electrical systems and components for charging vehicles, and the second is related to the design and use of electric motorcycles, in particular batteries. Enel, the main Italian electricity company, has been active in the first area for six years, while, as regards motorcycles, since 2023, Ducati has been the sole supplier of the championship.
The version that debuted in 2023, the Ducati V21L, immediately became the benchmark for the category of electric racing motorcycles. The MotoE from Borgo Panigale immediately stood out for its 800 V architecture, its carbon-fiber battery pack, its liquid cell cooling system and its extremely low weight for a bike of this type. Once on the track, the Ducati The V21L shattered previous lap records by an average of three seconds, reaching a top speed of 282 km/h on the Mugello straight.
These results were further improved the following year thanks to developments in electronics and tyres.
Now, halfway through his commitment in the MotoE World Championship, Ducati is preparing to bring a significantly evolved version of the V21L to the track. We talked about it with Roberto Canè, E-Mobility Director of Ducati and responsible for the MotoE project.
Canè explained that the main innovation concerns the battery that, in 2025, will be 8,5 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 and, consequently, the overall weight decreases.
The external carbon casing of the current battery remains the same, which is also an integral part of the motorcycle's frame. The rest of the powertrain, in particular the engine and the inverter, will not undergo any changes.
The new version of Ducati MotoE for 2025 will therefore weigh just over 215 kg and will most likely have lap times lower than those recorded last season, getting even closer to the performance of the Moto2.
The innovations, however, are not limited to those of the battery pack, although important. Other changes have been studied by Ducati to reduce weight and improve battery life and performance Ducati V21L.
One of these concerns the rear rim. Up until now, a traditional rim was used, designed for the mounting of rubber shock absorbers. This detail is essential for motorcycles with internal combustion engines or equipped with a gearbox, to limit the effect on the final transmission of sudden variations in torque, while it is not for the MotoE, thanks to the smooth torque delivery of the electric motor. For this reason, the 2025 model will mount a special rear rim that is slimmer and tapered in the hub area, without a shock absorber. This change will reduce the weight by half a 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 thanks to this solution.
Aesthetically, the MotoE 2025 will not be different from last year, but the central body of the bike will be more rearward than the previous model. This change in the geometry of the bike is the result of two changes: the horizontal advancement of the front tire and the approach to the pivot of the rear tire (already available from 2024).
Bringing the rear wheel ever further 'under' the bike is a solution that teams have always sought in recent years, but they had now reached the minimum limit allowed by the swingarm.
The solution adopted in 2025, therefore, was to mount a different steering bushing, in order to have the wheel and front fork more 'forward'. These changes were made possible by the reduced propensity of the MotoE to the wheelie, thanks to the weight of the battery.
These changes will bring significant advantages to the riders' riding, especially when braking: in this phase the bike will be more stable and will allow for more incisive braking and more 'inside' the curve. All this without compromising traction when accelerating.
As for the swingarm, it has been made possible to vary the pivot point (i.e. the height of the swingarm rotation point), in order to allow teams to change the chainring while maintaining the same “chain pull”, i.e. the phenomenon whereby during acceleration the chain “pulls” the swingarm, counteracting the load transfer and therefore in practice aiding acceleration.
Important 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 in 2024 of adaptive traction control with tire wear and new maps for ride-by-wire and engine braking, sector traction control will be added this year. This feature will allow you to select a different traction control map for each of the four sectors into which the track is divided. Each team will be able to choose, from circuit to circuit, three maps and will be able to combine the maps as they like in the different sectors of the track. For example, you can use map A for sectors one and three, B in the second sector and C in the last. This will allow you to have optimal traction control in each part of the circuit, further improving performance.
Below are maps of the different electronic controls that teams and riders will have available in 2025:
- Ride by Wire: Three maps from a catalog of nine.
- Traction Control: three maps to choose from nine available.
- Anti-Wheelie: One map of five available.
- Engine Brake: Three out of nine selectable maps.
This expansion of the options and functions of the electronic controls will allow each rider to further adapt the bike's set-up to their own riding style. This greater freedom in electronics was in fact one of the most frequent requests from the riders of the MotoE.
Ultimately, in 2025 we will see a MotoE even lighter, weighing around 45 kg less than the debut season in 2019 and 10 kg less than the first version made in 2023 by Ducati.
To find out what the chrono improvements of the V21L 2025 edition will be, we will just have to wait a few more days. The first test of the new season of the MotoE is in fact upon us, from 11 to 13 April, at the Barcelona circuit.
Photos: MotoGP, Ducati and Epaddock
TECH BOX – The NCA battery
The acronym NCA (Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide battery cell) identifies a lithium-ion battery that uses a cathode composed of nickel, cobalt and aluminum. Unlike NMCs that use manganese, NCAs use aluminum to increase cell stability. The typical composition of the cathode of NCA cells is usually around 80% nickel, 15% cobalt and 5% aluminum. The high nickel content contributes to the high energy density and specific energy of the cell. NCA cells are characterized by a long service life and a high energy density (typically between 200 and 260 Wh/kg), which make them suitable for high-performance applications.
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