Motorcycle racing bosses FIM, and MotoGP promoters Dorna Sports, have announced that the all-electric MotoE category is being put ‘on hiatus’ after admitting it has failed to ‘gain sufficient traction’ despite seven years as part of the MotoGP championship.
This weekend’s round at Misano in Italy will be the championship’s penultimate race weekend, with the finale coming in Portugal in November. Next year will see a new series join the MotoGP roster, with the ‘King of the Baggers’ racing seeing Harley-Davidsons and Indians doing battle – the complete antithesis of MotoE!
Introduced as a World Cup alongside the 2019 MotoGP series, MotoE originally used modified versions of the Energica Ego street bike for all competitors. It was upgraded to a full world championship in 2023, when the series continued to use a spec model but adopted bespoke all-electric race bikes supplied by Ducati Corse.
The news will come as a further blow to the electric motorcycle industry, which has so far failed to attract any significant foothold in the full-sized motorbike market. Energica, seen by many as the technological pioneers, went out of business last year, joining many of the other early manufacturers, while sales of Livewires and Zeros have failed to make any headway – with no noticeable year-on-year growth and dealerships dropping EV franchises like stones.
MotoGP bosses say that the decision has been made after consulting fans and stakeholders in the motorcycle industry, stating: “MotoGP listens closely to fans – present and future – to deliver what best resonates within the sports and entertainment ecosystem, as well as consulting closely with the motorcycle industry and key stakeholders. MotoE has not been able to gain sufficient traction within our fanbase during its seven seasons of competition, during which time the electric performance motorcycle market has not developed as expected.”
MotoGP has recently been bought out by Amercian company Liberty Media, the company currently in charge of Formula One car racing, and they look set to add some razzamatazz to its two-wheeled counterpart. MotoE, with its short and near silent races, doesn’t appear to fit that bill, while the bike industry seems to be working towards developing cleaner and more efficient combustion engines, instead of going down the EV route. Petrol used in MotoGP racing currently contains a minimum of 40% of non-fossil content, with that number set to increase to 100% from 2027.
Speaking of the decision, Jorge Viegas, FIM President, said: "Today we announce the suspension of the FIM MotoE World Championship as from the end of this season. In fact, and despite all the best efforts to promote this innovative category together with Dorna, the truth is that we haven’t reached our objectives, nor has the industry associated with performance electric bikes. The racing has been really fantastic and I would like to thank all the riders and teams that have competed in MotoE, and of course Dorna. Together we look to the future and are ready to embrace any new innovations and technologies."
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports, added: "MotoE has delivered some incredible on-track action and crowned champions and winners, playing a valuable role in MotoGP’s mission to innovate, fearlessly, and never shy away from staging something new. As we continuously strive for innovation on and off track, we must be equally unafraid of listening to our fanbase and the new audiences we seek to connect with, and observe market development. In doing so, together with the FIM, we have decided that the time is right to put MotoE on hiatus at the end of this season. We would like to thank all the riders and teams, Ducati, Michelin, our partners and all the personnel who have made MotoE a reality since its inception in 2019. Thank you for joining us on this valuable journey."
By suspending the series and putting it on an indefinite hiatus, both parties have left the door open for a return to all-electric racing should the desire be there. The decision mirrors that of the Isle of Man TT Races, which held TTs for electric prototypes between 2010 and 2019. Those races also failed to gain serious credibility, beyond a high profile entry from Honda subsidiary Mugen, and never saw more than eight finishers despite only being a one-lap race.
Despite electric motorcycle racing appearing to be dead in the water, there is some good news on the horizon for the small number of motorcyclists looking to take the EV route. Honda are set to unveil their first all-electric sportsbike, the EV Fun, in the coming months and the eyes of the industry will surely all be on the project to see if the manufacturing giant is able to change public perception.
The question is, does anybody care?
