AN ELECTRIC DUCATI rumour has been doing the rounds since the EICMA show a couple of years ago, with CEO Claudio Domenicali throwing further fuel on fire by saying ‘Ducati’s future is electric’ but adding it’ll only happen when the time is right.
With the announcement that the Borgo Panigale factory was to release an electric motorcycle in 2021, certain industry commentators began frothing at the prospect of a full-blown Ducati superbike with electric power. Sadly, that turned out to be a slightly less-than-sexy tie-up with Chinese firm V-Moto to build a run of Ducati branded e-scooters for the urban market. Pfft.
Thankfully car and bike designer Aritra Das has posted some rather slinky looking computer renderings on their Facebook page which show what a potential electric superbike from Ducati could look like.
Borrowing design elements from the Panigale V4 front end, and featuring neat, sculpted bodywork that envelops the entire bike. It’s unmistakably a Ducati but doesn’t shout about it’s electric DNA like some electric bikes do. Designing and electric bike is tricky, it’s a completely different animal when compared to its petrol-powered cousin. But there are some benefits too. The motor can be mounted in several positions and with no exhaust or inlet manifolds to give way for, the fairings can hug the internal parts to give a sleeker, more aerodynamic package.
The large frontal opening – where the radiator would normally sit – gives a clue that the motor or batteries (or both) could feature water cooling, an evermore popular feature on electric bikes as they try it squeeze more power and range from the electronics.
Whatever the technical insights, sadly this is still a rendering from an eager design firm possibly touting for business, not and official design. But it is a great deal more appealing than the original rendering that was doing the rounds a couple of months back!
