Ducati may not have a consumer-level electric motorcycle yet (and barely has a racing electric motorcycle, for that matter), but the company can’t stop pumping out smaller two-wheeled electric vehicles. Case in point: Ducati has just unveiled two new folding electric bicycles.
Both electric bicycle models were released under Ducati’s Scrambler brand, which has grown into a heavyweight lifestyle brand in recent years.
Ducati has leveraged it before for folding electric bikes, and appears to be sticking to its guns with the latest models unveiled recently.
The new SCR-X and SCR-E GT are both fat tire folding e-bikes that use a 60 Nm Bafang rear-mounted hub motor for power.
The 48V system on both bikes is generally associated with higher power, but the EU-based company was forced to limit the speed of the e-bikes to a mere 25 km/h (15 mph) to conform to local electric bicycle regulations.
The SCR-E GT is more road-oriented and comes with 20″ street tires matched to spoked wheels.
A 500 Wh battery is said to offer 50 miles (80 km) of range, and is removable for charging off of the bike. Considering the pedal assist nature of these e-bikes, that’s likely a reasonable range rating.
The SCR-X, on the other hand, is the more trail-oriented e-bike of the lot.
While both bikes feature front suspension, the SCR-E GT includes rear suspension, knobby tires, and mag rims which should perform better in more dynamic off-road riding conditions.
A larger battery with 614 Wh of capacity will also offer more stored energy, which is important for e-bikes ridden in harsher off-road conditions that often require more power from the battery.
The SCR-X adopts a step-thru frame that will make it easier for riders to mount the bike without swinging a leg over the tall saddle, while the SCR-E GT uses a step-over frame instead .
Riders should expect the two new models to become available later this month across Ducati’s dealerships and online, though the company has yet to reveal pricing details.
These two new models follow several Ducati entries into the electric bicycle market.
The motorcycle company first rolled out an electric mountain bike in 2018 via a partnership with THOK bikes, marking the company’s first electric two-wheeler.
At the time, Ducati was teasing an electric motorcycle in its future but was still making excuses for why the company wouldn’t be able to develop one for many years.
The company followed up with several more models of electric mountain bikes in 2019.
By 2020, Ducati was toying with electric folding e-bikes and produced a number of interesting models with fairly new features such as frame-integrated lighting.
Ducati continued releasing new electric mountain bikes in 2020, improving the performance and quality level of the e-bikes.
By early 2022, the company released its first electric road bike designed for high-end racing bike consumers. The bike also came with a Ducati-sized price tag though, asking for a lofty €7,690 (approximately US $8,020).
Ducati may have made more progress on the electric bicycle front than in its electric motorcycle division, but the latter has seen a number of headlines lately as well.
Earlier this month Ducati unveiled specs on its V21L racing electric motorcycle prototype that will become the sole model used in the FIM MotoE racing series next season.
Ducati has confirmed that it will produce at least 18 of the bikes for the 2023 season of the FIM MotoE racing series. Each of the V21L electric motorcycles will be capable of outputting 110 kW (147 hp) and 140 Nm (103 lb-ft) of torque.
The bike was said to reach a top speed of 275 km/h (171 mph) on a test circuit in Mugello, Italy.
Despite carrying a rather large 18 kWh battery pack, Ducati was able to bring the weight of the V21L prototype down to just 225 kg (496 lb). That’s still a hefty bike, but weighs significantly less than the 282 kg (621 lb) Energica Ego electric motorcycle that it will replace beginning in the 2023 season.
While Ducati may have spent years dragging its feet on two-wheeled EVs, it’s hard to claim the company isn’t playing catchup now with a series of big unveilings. What do you think of Ducati’s EV progress? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
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Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
