Ducati's MotoE bike sheds weight, gains tech for 2025
Weight loss, chassis changes and turn-ౠby-turn traction control among 2025 Ducati MotoE upgꦉrades.
Ducati has unveiled a series of 🍎upgrades to its V21L electric race bike ahead of the 2025 MotoE World Championship.
One of the most significant enhancements 🧜is a weight saving of 8.2kg from the battery pack, made ꦓpossible by a higher energy density of 5 Ah compared to the previous 4.2 Ah.
According to Ducati’s simulations, this should improve lap times by ‘between three and four-ten♏ths of a second’ depending on the circuꦬit.
The electronics h♍ave also seen upgrades, with traction control now adjustable turn-by-turn.
The techniciaཧns of each team ‘can define three different mappings, selectable by 🃏the rider, with different traction control calibrations for each section of the track’.
The chassis has been length𝓀ened by 4 millimetres through the use of d💫ifferent steering bushings, enhancing braking stability.
Additionally, the s꧙wingarm pin is now height-adjustable, to help the chain pull eff🌱ect unaltered when altering gear ratios.
Starting from the second round in the Netherlands, the V21L will also feature a new rear rim without false dampers, further reducing weight by 600 grams. 🌸;
This reduction in unsprung mass will hel꧒p the bike's agil🥂ity and handling.
Col🧸lectively, the updates have decreased the V21L's total weight from 225kg to 216.2kg.
That's still heavy co🔜mpared to a combustion engine, with the minimum machine weight for MotoGP set at 157kg and 168kg for WorldSBK.
However, if the weight lo🎃ss continues at the same rate, a MotoE could become comparable with an SBK in around five years, albeit over shorter race distances.
The 2025 MotoE season kicks off with testing on 11-13 April, before round one takes place during the French MotoGP weekend at Le Mans on 9-10 May.
The full 2025 MotoE calendar is as follows:
- French GP (Le Mans), 9/10 May
- Dutch GP (TT Circuit Assen), 27/28 June
- Austrian GP (Red Bull Ring-Spielberg), 15/16 August
- Hungarian GP (Balaton Park Circuit), 22/23 August
- Catalan GP (Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya), 5/6 September
- San Marino GP (Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli), 12/13 September
- Portuguese GP (Autódromo Internacional do Algarve), 7/8 November
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the f🦩orefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
