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Ducati’s Latest Innovation Could Fundamentally Change Motorcycles Forever

Those words might be hyperbole. But with what the V21L is packing, they might just as easily be an understatement.

Close-up of a Ducati motorcycle seat and fuel tank with a carbon fiber pattern, featuring red and gray accents and a textured black handlebar grip with red highlights.Ducati
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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Updated

Born in the mid-1960s, Giallo is a uniquely Italian genre of horror film, characterized by high style, suspense, gore and an oft-masked killer whose identity only emerges late.

Coincidentally enough, it appears that when gas-powered motorcycles ultimately fall, the slayer may be revealed as … Italian.

A sleek, modern electric motorcycle with a matte black and red design, featuring the text "Powered by Solid State Battery" on its side. Next to the motorcycle is a large, transparent mechanical component, likely the solid-state battery or motor, supported by small traffic cones. The motorcycle has a streamlined body, a tinted windshield, and gold front forks.
This screen grab from a YouTube video of the IAA unveiling shows the V21L alongside its unprecedented fuel source.
Ryxillyfy Cars

That’s the only conclusion I can draw upon beholding Ducati’s big unveiling this week at Munich’s IAA Mobility trade show. 

Because the Volkswagen-backed brand’s V21L race prototype boasts a true game changer, not only for two-wheeled vehicles but perhaps four-wheelers as well. 

Sounding the death knell of internal combustion and heralding a whole new era for EVs — potentially — the motorcycle is the first example of QuantumScape solid-state lithium-metal batteries powering an electric vehicle.

Track star

For those, like me, who have been watching the steady progression of electric motorcycles with a mixture of excitement and mournfulness, this news feels monumental.

That’s because solid-state batteries have been a bit of a white whale for the EV industry. Brands like Toyota and Honda have been hyping them for years now but have never been able to surmount scaling setbacks.

Close-up of a motorcycle frame section featuring a carbon fiber panel with a distinctive woven pattern. The panel is secured with multiple screws and includes a small metallic component with four indicator lights (two red and two green). Visible parts of the frame and surrounding components also showcase carbon fiber and textured materials, with a glimpse of an Öhlins suspension component in the lower right corner.
Carbon fiber can only shave so much weight. A more space-efficient battery could shave much more.
Ducati

The promise is potent: These batteries rely on a solid electrolyte and anode-free lithium metal setup, rather than liquid electrolytes and graphite anodes. That translates to higher efficiency (more energy in less space) plus faster charging and overall greater safety.

With the V21L, we’re talking 844 watt-hours per liter, charging from 10 to 80 percent in a bit over 12 minutes and a continuous flow of race-level power. 

The last few words of that last sentence are meaningful because, more than tech and more than everyday riding, Ducati’s rep has long rested on a “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” commitment to racing prowess.

A motorcyclist in a red and white racing suit and a helmet with red, white, and green stripes is leaning sharply while riding a black Ducati racing motorcycle on a track. The motorcycle has the number 2 and "moto e" written on the front fairing. The background shows a blurred barrier and track surface.
Ducati’s solid-state tech could lead to a whole lot more battery-powered winning on Sunday.
Ducati

In the immediate term, the MotoE racing ramifications of solid-state are inescapable. As the great Kyra Sacdalan points out in RideApart, a lighter battery pack, reliable torque and potentially easier cooling add up to a dominant racing bike that still feels like a playful, powerful Ducati. 

Fast-charging could also impact pit stops, with teams getting strategic about how much time to spend juicing up, with the goal of finishing on an fast and light almost-empty battery.

Bigger picture

Beyond the race track — and admittedly a ways down the proverbial road — this news indicates the dream of solid-state for production bikes is getting closer to reality.

That’s significant because of an as-yet unmentioned advantage: staying power. The cells of solid-state batteries are less susceptible to degradation, which translates to longer life cycles and increased safety. 

A sleek Ducati racing motorcycle with a matte black and carbon fiber body, accented by red stripes and the Ducati logo on the side. It features gold front forks, a streamlined front fairing with a tinted windscreen, and a single seat. The bike is supported by a red rear stand, and the tires are slick racing tires. The overall design emphasizes aerodynamics and high performance.
Not unlike a dog owner putting pills in peanut butter, Ducati has a way of styling things up that makes our electric future easier to swallow.
Ducati

Hearkening back to the headline of this story, I should say that this doesn’t necessarily mean the imminent demise of gas-powered motorcycles.

But it definitely feels like we are on the tail end of the glory days — and with gas bikes facing bans in places like Vietnam — electric motos, hastened by solid-state, may one day be the only way forward

Meanwhile, car and truck enthusiasts, don’t be fooled into thinking the impact is limited to motorcycles. As mentioned, Volkswagen owns Ducati and has been working with QuantumScape and PowerCo for years developing this tech.

Close-up of a motorcycle seat and tail section featuring a sleek black design with red diagonal stripes and thin red lines. The tail has a textured surface with a small integrated clear light at the rear. The handlebars and part of the fuel tank are visible in the blurred background.
Come next season, non-Ducati MotoE racers might have to get used to this view.
Ducati

My hunch is that it’s being introduced in a motorcycle because it’s simply easier, or less risky, or sexier to do so — or all three.

The EV industry is certainly watching: the financial site investing.com reports that since the unveiling, QuantumScape’s stock has climbed more than 20 percent. 

Huge news for that little San Jose-based outfit, no doubt. But you’d have to be as dead as a Giallo victim to not see it as pretty big news for folks in Bologna, Wolfsburg and the rest of the world, too.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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