As MotoE is mothballed, we take a look back at its triumphs and failures

MotoE has shelved its plans to run an eighth season in 2026, as the world of electric vehicles, this time in racing form, has once again fallen into the spotlight.

But not for the right reasons.

When MotoE was first announced, it signalled a potential new future for motorcycle racing. It was a future that was supposed to give us a clear idea of how the two-wheel racing sector would evolve, how it would be more eco-friendly, and show us technical advancements that would not just change our view on racing, but the whole EV industry as a whole.

Fast forward seven years, and the MotoE World Championship is being dropped, at least for now. Which is a decision that is both surprising and not.

I say that because Ducati is the sole manufacturer that provides race bikes for every team in the class. A leader of its own when it comes to pushing development to new heights in racing, whether that be technically or aerodynamically. 2025 has again been a big year for the Borgo Panigale brand, and that includes its V21L all-electric race bike.

You see, Ducati, as recently as April of this year, updated its V21L ahead of the 2025 MotoE season-opener, as it continued with its efforts to make the bike even better than before. Since then, the V21L has become part of a groundbreaking process which will see it use a solid-state battery from QuantumScape, through its partnership with Volkswagen.

None of this screams ‘we’re pushing development for a bike that will no longer be used for its primary purpose, which is racing’. However, that is what will happen as of 2026, as MotoE has revealed the deciding factors as to why it's reaching the end of the road.

One of the major reasons is the current industry shift, which, for lack of a better term, means the failure of electrically-powered bikes to get as much of a foothold in the two-wheel segment. Another factor was the lack of fan engagement in the series, which, despite featuring big-name riders, could not grab people's attention like it needed to - whether live at the track or on TV.

Had MotoGP decided to go full tilt into the world of electric, MotoE would have likely garnered a lot more interest. That’s because race fans adore Grand Prix racing. Even when the likes of Valentino Rossi or Marc Marquez often dominated the series, people still tuned in week after week because they loved the racing, the show and the overall spectacle.

That hasn’t changed, and MotoGP knows this as it's given fans more races to enjoy thanks to the addition of sprints in recent times, as well as an ever-growing race calendar.

But what’s likely to have put a fairly big nail in the MotoE coffin is the fact that MotoGP itself has embraced non-fossil fuels, while the motorcycle industry as a whole is also heading towards synthetic and non-fossil fuels.

In 2027, MotoGP bikes will run on 100 per cent non-fossil fuel, which is a significant shift and one that will likely be around for a very long time.

Bradley Smith, Chaz Davies, Dominique Aegerter, Jordi Torres, Mike Di Meglio, Sete Gibernau and Randy De Puniet are just some of the riders who have competed in MotoE during its seven-year existence.

A lot of those are names that MotoGP and World Superbike fans will be familiar with, but despite that, and a big-name brand like Ducati, powering the series, MotoE seemed doomed quite some time ago.

Of course, those who were sceptical of the MotoE class in the first place will remember when a fire broke out in the E-paddock at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto on March 14, 2019. The fire was caused by a ‘short circuit’, which ignited the bike’s batteries and caused flames to engulf all 18 motorcycles.

That was not a fault of the machinery, but it wasn’t a good look for MotoE either, as it attempted to become a successful support class to MotoGP.

Another factor that has more than likely hurt the series when it comes to fan appeal, is that the championship has often had a lot of turnover in terms of riders, giving people less chance of investing themselves as a fan of one particular rider, which is typically what happens in other championships.

It also doesn’t appear to be a series where young riders aspire to go, with the focus very much being on MotoGP or World Superbike. You don’t hear of any young guns in Moto3 dreaming one day of swinging a leg over a MotoE bike; anything less than the top two classes would be seen as failure. All this, combined with the failure of electric bikes to make a dent in the industry, has led to this moment, which is certainly one that will be difficult to come back from.

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