Young designer Alessandro Lupo has designed an electric Ducati Monster to inspire the iconic Italian company to pursue a “new beginning”.
Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali rides a Hypermotard converted to electric power with a Zero FX powertrain and recently said the company is about to join the electric bike race.
Alessandro, who is a designer at exotic car company Pagani Automobili, says his “desire would be to work for Ducati”.
After reading that Ducati wants to make an electric motorcycle, I thought the Monster project could be ideal,” the Panigale 959 rider says.
“Monster is the Ducati icon, so it could be a new beginning. I hope Ducati can see my idea and be inspired by it.”
An electric Monster also makes a lot of sense as most electric motorcycling in the near future is expected to be short distance and commuting, because of the limited range and long recharge times.
“Given the rumour of a Ducati interest in making an electric motorcycle, I wanted to imagine how this could appear if it became a reality,” Alessandro says.
Noticeably, he has retained chain drive, but it must be one gear as there is no clutch.
Electric Ducati Monster
Here is Alessandro’s video and his electric concept in his own words:
Mixing the vintage style of the Cafe Racer, the beauty of the Ducati brand and the architecture of an electric motorcycle, I designed the Ducati Monster Electric Concept.
Aesthetically appealing; to give the sensation of speed, most of the volumes fall on the front.
This means that the tank is very low and almost invades the front wheel and the rear has no tail, so as to give greater optical lightness and make the tire appear even larger.
This presents the typical trellis frame fixed no longer to the engine but to the battery which, placed inside a carbon cover, becomes structural.
The tank, of considerable size, no longer has the traditional fuel reserve function. This becomes a convenient trunk to store the helmet and various objects. In addition, the “fake” tank is composed of two easily interchangeable side covers to update the style.
The bike, with the combination of materials such as ABS, brushed aluminum and carbon, creates distinct “zones” that at the same time form part of the same assembly.
The meticulous research of the details (like the components milled from full with angles of 45 ° and brushed) must give the perception of “premium”. A luxury that is now present in cars but not in motorcycles.
The cycling odds are more like a sport bike than a naked one, to make the most of a powertrain with lots of torque.
Ducati amps up
At a student event in Spain this year, the Ducati boss told the crowd: “The future is electric, we’re not far from starting series production.”
It’s no news that Ducati has been considering an electric model since about 2017 when a Ducati executive revealed they had electric plans for a motorcycle and a scooter by 2021.
In the same year, VW Group Chairman Matthias Mueller upped the ante saying Ducati would have an electric motorcycle “by 2020”.
Ducati has also collaborated with Milano Scuola Politecnica di Design (Design Polytechnic School) students to produce the futuristic Ducati Zero electric sports bike.