Ducati Electric Scooters. From Superbikes to Super Scooters. Are they any good?

If anyone mentions the name Ducati to you, you'll immediately think of the famous Italian motorcycle brand. Since the 1950s Ducati have been producing scramblers, road bikes, and superbikes. From the quick-of-its-time Ducati Mach 1 from the 60s right up to the 2020s Superleggera V4 beast of a bike.

Now, Ducati has teamed up with MT Distribution to produce Ducati branded Personal Electric Vehicles. Ducati Electric Scooters and Ducati Electric Bikes are now widely available across the UK and we look at whether these personal electric vehicles live up to their famous name.

Green Electric Vehicles

Ducati electric scooters. Sounds a bit weird right? But as the world becomes to realise that we can no longer produce vehicles with combustion engines, more and more car and vehicles brands are dipping their toe into the world of green electric vehicles. Whether it's the infamous Tesla or the simple Nissan Leaf, manufacturers are making the slow transition to full electric.

As the electric scooter becomes more popular across not only the UK but the World. These famous brands are putting their engineering expertise and technology into producing personal electric vehicles for everyone. Jumping on the bandwagon or seeing a gap in the market, Ducati is now delivering a range of affordable fun electric scooters and electric bikes for people across the world.

From Superbikes to super scooters, are the Ducati brand of personal electric vehicles any good?

A Brief History of Ducati

Let's step back in time and look at the history of Ducati. Firstly, they didn't start with motorbikes. Antonio Cavalieri Ducati and his three sons started off in Bologna, Italy 1926 producing radio parts. In the 1940s they engineered the Cucciolo or 'Little Puppy' in English. This was a little engine that could be fitted to a standard bicycle. Technically making it into a motorbike? When they realised that every company they sold them to was attaching them to their own bikes and selling them as a complete unit. Ducati they released they wanted a slice of this pie. Or pizza. In the early 50s, they produced their first motor-powered bike. Changing the name from Cucciolo to 55M and 65TL. They split the company in 1953. One for electronics and one for a dedicated motorbike company called Ducati Meccanica SpA.

Throughout the years they produced motorbikes in various guises. The Mach 1 was the fastest 250 cc road bike of its time in the 60s. The company has been sold a few times and is now in the very capable hands of Lamborghini.

Ducati has licenced its electric and scooter designs over to MT Distribution which has taken the reigns to produce a fantastic range of Ducati branded personal electric vehicles.

Ducati Electric Scooters

There are fair few Ducati electric scooters in the range and they fall into two types. The Pro series and the Cross series. The Pro series is modern and sleek looking with classic Italian styling and features. The Cross series nods towards the Ducati Scrambler series of motorbikes, featuring urban styling on some and off-road design on others.

The Ducati Pro series of e-scooters start with the simplistic Ducati Pro Series I  in both the Plus and Evo versions. Both have slightly different features. The Pro II EVO has a slightly bigger motor than the Ducati Corse Air giving it a longer range, whereas the Corse Air is lighter making it perfect for those of you who love a sleek simple electric scooter design.

The Pro II places itself in the middle of the Pro series with both an EVO and Plus model. The EVO has an extended range of up to 40 Km thanks to a bigger battery. Both the Pro II EVO and Pro II Plus arrive with 10" pneumatic tyres. Larger than the Pro I models. Distinctive in design, they feature a more robust style, and both are compatible with the Ducati Urban e-mobility App which opens up more features for your Pro II electric scooter.

At the top of the Pro series is the Ducati Pro III e-scooter. The flagship e-scooter in this range. Building on the Pro II the Ducati Pro III has a massive range of 50 Km allowing weekend adventures on a single charge. Other upgraded features are a duo of disc brakes, front and back. A large LED display with a USB charging port, the KERS system, and a keyless NFC token for starting up your e-scooter. This Ducati Pro III is for those of you that love a classic e-scooter design with the latest modern technology.

On the other side of the fence are the Cross series of Ducati e-scooters. With black and yellow styling, they are distinctive in design and give off a more street look than the sleek design of the Ducati Pro series

Starting with the Ducati Cross-E series, they feature the City Cross-E which arrives in Black and Yellow or Black, and the City Cross-E X. They all feature a rugged design nodding at the Ducati Scrambler motorbikes. All arrive with a 350-watt brushless motor, a 45 Km range, 10" tyres, bright LED lights, and all are fully compatible with the Ducati Urban e-mobility App. The Cross-E X has upgraded off-road 10" tyres. For those of you that love a more gritty adventure.

At the top of the Ducati Cross series are the Ducati Scrambler Cross-E and Cross-E Sport e-scooters. As well as the unique looking frame design both land with powerful 500-watt motors, chunky 10" tyres, 40 Km range, 3.5" LCD display, and removable batteries. They are branded as Ducati Scrambler and offer a more rugged design than the Pro series of Ducati e-scooters.

Whichever Ducati electric scooter toots your scoot, they've all got one thing in common. They're all engineered with classic Italian flair and you won't be disappointed with any of them.

Ducati Electric Bikes

For those of you who love assisted pedal power, they also do electric bikes. Only two in the series, but both are great nonetheless. The Ducati MG-20 electric bike and the Ducati SCR-E electric bike. The MG-20 e-bike nods towards the Pro series of electric scooters while the SCR-E is more in Ducati Scrambler camp. Both have a modern street style design and come loaded with a ton of features. Both fold down and have removable batteries. Which makes charging a piece of cake. Both of them have a range of from 30 to 70 Km. It all depends on how much you pedal, how fast you pedal, road slope, and a whole bunch of other variables. Basically, if you pedal a lot and you're going down a hill, you'll get more mileage out of it.

Both of them have 20" tyres. However, the MG-20's tyres are 2.125" wide whereas the SCR-E are way more chunky being 4" wide! It certainly nods towards the MG-20 being a street bike and the SCR-E comfortable off-road. Speaking of off-road, the SCR-e has front suspension which takes the vibrations out and improves comfort when out riding.

Whichever is to your taste, both of these Ducati e-bikes deliver on amazing Italian design, superb engineering, and classic modern styling. Whether you're a weekend peddler or a daily commuter. Either of these would be perfect.

Ducati Do Electric

Ducati isn't the first and certainly won't be the last motor brand that dips a toe into the electric bike and e-scooter market. We've other brands such as Jeep and Lamborghini lending their knowledge to the e-scooter market. Yes, I said that. Lamborghini is getting in on the action. There are also lots of cool brands that only do electric scooters. You should check out the Nanrobot scooters. These are on another planet!

It's great that companies like Ducati recognise that the personal electric vehicle market is growing. And I suspect we'll be seeing a lot more electric scooters from other car manufacturers in the very near future. Watch this space. This green space.