MotoGP to run all electric support series for inde team beginning 2019

[RocketPunch]

Not sure how popular will this end up being, if they actually follows through with the plan.

source: MotoGP boss shock reveal: We're going to run electric bikes in 2019 and it will be MotoGP teams vs Moto2!

MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta has made a huge announcement that the MotoGP championship is getting its own electric bike race series that will see MotoGP teams and Moto2 teams line up against each other. And it’ll happen in just two year’s time!

Ezpeleta said: “We are going to do some electric races soon. It will be a real eco-label series and it will not be a world championship.

“There will be five electric races as a support by 2019. We want to reach an agreement with an electric company that carries photovoltaic stations to each circuit and these green stations will be what supplies the charge for the batteries in the bikes.

“Our idea is to give the bikes to the independent MotoGP teams to run in the championship. We have 14 independent teams in MotoGP so that will mean 14 bikes. We want 18 bikes on each grid so we will also give four bikes to the best Moto2 teams and their riders can ride the electric bikes in the championship if they want to be a part of it also.”

Ezpeleta said that there are two factories looking to supply the bikes for the new championship, but would not be drawn on who they are.

The races will be much more than one-lap dashes with Ezpeleta saying that they will be contested with the bikes that: “Will be able to ten laps and can reach 200kph. In the coming months we will have the most developed program and we want them to be support races.”

[Tekime]

I'll watch it. No replacement for gas bikes though. I can see it being really unpopular with the traditional MotoGP crowd, but possibly attracting a new breed of fans. From a technological perspective, it could be awesome for helping to advance electronic bike tech and stoke that industry. And it's just sort of cool. Not necessarily cool enough for me to go buy one though. I couldn't live without the sound of combustion and those wonderous aromatic hydrocarbons. Maybe it'll be seen (and actually sort of is) a threat to gas bikes but certainly not a death blow.

[maxim_X]

In motorsport specifically I really like the idea of electrics involved. The limitations for the street of batteries today seem to be a non-factor when you're running laps and can charge or swap them out. It seems well suited for motorcycle racing, on and off road and it's exciting to think about lining up in ten years with a grid of half electric bikes. The ease of maintenance and simplicity is a big plus as well. Also it's quieter for strict areas and trees like it, and that may open up more areas for racing.

[carsick]

Also trees like it, and that may open up more areas for racing.

Bullshit, trees live on carbon dioxide. I always do my part to give back when woods riding by mixing some HC and O2 to spread around.

I would enjoy making a fool of myself on an electric trials bike though.

[nick5446]

I'll watch it. No replacement for gas bikes though. I can see it being really unpopular with the traditional MotoGP crowd, but possibly attracting a new breed of fans. From a technological perspective, it could be awesome for helping to advance electronic bike tech and stoke that industry. And it's just sort of cool. Not necessarily cool enough for me to go buy one though. I couldn't live without the sound of combustion and those wonderous aromatic hydrocarbons. Maybe it'll be seen (and actually sort of is) a threat to gas bikes but certainly not a death blow.

Thanks for the blast from the past! I helped build one of those Zero bikes and worked on the other.

To your point, when we used to run at gas races, that was when people typically got up to get a beer. This was also 5-6 years ago, which is like 50 ICE years. The bikes are definitely getting faster by the day.