Ducati Zero: A dream… or reality?

Bruno Gomes

February 6, 2019

The Ducati Zero | Photo credits: Electric Motorcycle News

From time to time, big motorcycle companies ask design students to create what they believe to be the future of motorcycles, and it’s not the first time that we’ve seen some ideas being taken to reality. This time though, Ducati hasn’t asked anything to a group of students of the Politecnico di Milano, in Italy, but they’ve designed what they believe can be the future electric Ducati superbike.

The Ducati Zero was born from the dreams and ideas of three students, who say that “The Ducati Zero is the result of our focus on the minimalistic, with a body that contrasts in two tones that split the structural from the technical side. The design is inspired on a serpent that is ready to attack”.

The futuristic design doesn’t hide the inspiration on the current Ducati superbike, the Panigale V4, with the streamlined bodywork and compact and aggressive rear end. On the side fairings, the Zero logo is illuminated and changes colour according to the riding mode chosen by the rider. In Eco riding mode, the logo is green, in Street mode turns to white, while on the most aggressive ride mode Race the Ducati Zero logo changes to red.

The Ducati Zero | Photo credits: Electric Motorcycle News

While the design is always an important part of these futuristic motorcycle concepts, this electric superbike also has an evolved aerodynamic package and air flow. The air intakes between the LED lights at the front of the Ducati Zero let the air in and cool the batteries, while the rear vents let the air escape for increase stability at high speeds.

For the moment, the Ducati Zero is nothing more than just a vision of three students on how an electric Ducati superbike should be, but considering Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO, has already told us that we will be seeing the Italian motorcycle manufacturer enter the electric motorcycle segment, and the fact that Ducati has an history of helping and funding these type of ideas and student projects, maybe the Ducati Zero is more than just a dream, and turns into reality sooner than we think.