The executive director of MotoE World Cup, Nicolas Goubert, was interviewed by the Spanish site motorlunews.com and talked about how the new electric class of MotoGP was born. Here we have taken up some parts of the interview.
Because none of the six motorcycle manufacturers in MotoGP, which are supposed to be the most technologically advanced in the two-wheel world, showed interest in the MotoE?
I wouldn't say they didn't show interest. I would rather say they weren't ready. Let me draw a parallel with what has happened in the automotive industry. The first to sell electric cars on a large scale was not any of the better-known brands, but an outsider like Tesla. When DORNA started probing the market, it soon became clear that the possible suppliers were some start-ups like Energica and other brands in the United States.
Are you telling me that companies like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM, Ducati or Aprilia don't have the technology of a smaller company like Energica?
No, I'm not saying this. If you ask me if BMW or Mercedes are capable of producing electric cars, I'd say they can do it. But it is a question of who first believes in a given technology, it is a matter of time, in Tesla cars he believed in it first. What happened in the motorcycle industry is exactly the same. When you are an established and consolidated brand, before making any move you are very careful; sometimes it's a lot more complicated for this type of company to take a step forward than a start-up.
It can therefore be said that the big brands prefer that others take the risk, be pioneers, and if it works then they invest.
I don't think car manufacturers or motorcyclists are happy to see someone outside their world that starts with this technology and much less will be if they succeed. But when Energica made the decision to venture into the world of electric motorcycles or in Tesla's case into the world of cars, the big traditional car or motorcycle industry did not believe enough in such disruptive technology to make the same decision at the time. This is the only difference for me.
It is mandatory to talk about safety, and not just because of what happened in Jerez. The marshals are instructed to immediately move away from a damaged motorcycle if the warning lights on the motorcycle are red. What does it mean, that the bike is dangerous?
We asked ad Energica to place a safety light on both sides of the motorcycle to warn anyone who may come into contact with the motorcycle - stewards, mechanics, and so on - if there is a risk of electric shock. We told the track staff not to touch the bike if the light is red. It's something they've done in E-Formula since the beginning and we thought it was a good idea, so we asked Energica to do the same.
Regarding the Jerez fire, can you tell us if the cause of the fire has been clarified?
The investigation into the Jerez accident is still open, we still don't have the final conclusions. But what I can tell you is that when an accident like this happens, they look again at all aspects to see where they can do better. This is exactly what we have been doing since the Jerez accident.
The current championship formula is the embryo of what?
When starting a new journey with new technology, it is very difficult to know exactly where it is going. We clarify that we are not aiming to replace anything that exists, but we believe that the technologies related to electric mobility, on which we are working, have a very high potential. But we also know it will take time, no doubt. Today we are adding something more to the existing. The first step is to show people that you can have good races and have fun with electric bikes. I am very confident that the races will be balanced, because all the bikes are the same, it will be fun.
The manufacturers present in MotoGP how are they taking this new class?
I think everyone is looking at what we're doing and if the public and the media will be interested in MotoE. There have been manufacturers working on electric mobility for many years, like KTM, Harley Davidson, or Yamaha ... .. I'm sure they'll pay a lot of attention to what we're going to do.
You can find previous interviews with Nicolas Goubert with other details on MotoE World Cup here (link).
The original interview in Spanish is available here (link).
