Ducati is waiting for better battery tech before it branches out into electric motorcycles, CEO Claudio Domenicali said to MOTO.IT.
Domenicali explained that lithium-ion batteries may have significantly evolved over the years, but they’re still not advanced enough to store enough energy, while simultaneously keeping the current weight of the bike. He also hinted at the prospect of solid state batteries as a possible solution.
This announcement confirms Ducati’s VP of Sales Francesco Milicia’s earlier statement that the company won’t produce an electric motorcycle anytime soon, as it “cannot guarantee the pleasure, the range, the weight etc. that Ducati riders expect.”
These concerns about battery energy and performance seem rather weak, given that fellow motorcycle makers have already rolled out impressive electric models using the current lithium-ion battery technology.
For instance, Italian sport bike maker Energica produces various versions of its Energica Ego with city ranges of 400km and mixed ranges of 230km, thanks to a high capacity 21.5 kWh battery pack.
In fact, even though the Energica Ego is 20% heavier than a Ducati, it still beats down the Paginale model with a 2.6-second 0-60 mph acceleration, compared to 2.9 respectively.
Similarly, Triumph is developing its TE-1 electric motorcycle featuring a battery capacity of 15 kWh with a range of approximately 200km, while Zero Motors has introduced its Z-Force power tank which upgrades its current models to 18 kWh of battery capacity with 259km city range, and 180km on a highway.
So why Ducati would go back on its 2019 promise for an electric future remains very much unclear.
HT – Electrek
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