(CNN) —
It’s motorbike racing but not as you know it.
MotoGP administrators Dorna announced in February 2018 that a new all-electric series, The Enel MotoE World Cup, will be joining its three existing classes – Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP – from 2019.
It will mark a big departure for a series characterized by loud, boisterous gasoline-fueled racing, and Dorna has been weaning fans onto the concept with demonstration laps by former grand prix stars, including Max Biaggi, Colin Edwards, Randy de Puniet and Loris Capirossi, at races during the 2018 MotoGP season.
MotoE has taken a standard production bike, the Italian-built Energica Ego, and is adapting it to race specifications, much like Formula E has done with its race car.
Capirossi, a hugely popular MotoGP veteran, with nine premier class wins to his name, has played a key role in testing the machine.
01:55 - Source: CNN
Nico Rosberg tests the new Gen2 Formula E car
READ: Formula E has advantages over F1, says Nico Rosberg
“It’s a strange thing because, when you jump on, you’re looking for the clutch, there’s no clutch; you’re looking for the gearbox, no gearbox; and also, no sound, the engine has no sound, just you push the button and the engine is on,” Capirossi told CNN Sport from his Monte Carlo home.
While the production Energica Ego is no slouch, with a top speed of around 150mph and a 0-60mph time of three seconds, the bike is a far cry from the multi-million-dollar MotoGP monsters that can reach over 220mph.
Nevertheless, Capirossi has been impressed with its characteristics. “You start to open the throttle and you see immediately, you feel immediately the torque of the bike, the acceleration of the bike, and when you’re on the track you’re thinking only about braking and acceleration, the rest you don’t need.”
Another thing that is noticeably absent, of course, is the roar of the engine.
“You feel just the speed, you feel the wind,” Capirossi explains. “When you touch the ground, you hear just the sound of the (knee) slider on the surface.”
Nicolas Goubert, who left MotoGP tire manufacturer Michelin to head up the MotoE series, says the focus is on competitive racing. Part of that involves keeping the costs down for entrants.
“Cost is a really big issue for an organizer. Every series, you name it, Formula One included, has to be careful with the cost,” he told CNN.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Xavier Bourge / Electric GT
Tesla Model S P100D —
Described as "the funnest car I've ever driven" by none other than Kanye West, the Tesla Model S is now being used for a new zero emissions racing series organized by Electric GT.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Xavier Bourge / Electric GT
Tesla Model S P100D —
Details of the EGT Championship were unveiled in April, with the inaugural season set to commence in the southern Spanish city of Jerez on November 3, 2018.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Rimac
Rimac Concept Two —
Able to accelerate from 0-60mph in just 1.85 seconds, the all-electric Rimac Concept Two is one of the fastest cars ever made.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Rimac
Rimac Concept Two —
Unveiled at March's Geneva Motor Show, the Croatian hypercar boasts top speeds of 258mph (412kph) and is claimed to be "as capable on track as it is crossing continents." It can travel a quarter of a mile -- from standstill -- in just 9.1 seconds.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Rimac
Rimac Concept Two —
Designers claim the Concept Two has a range of over 400 miles (650km.) With facial recognition in lieu of a traditional key, it's one of numerous electric supercar concepts lighting up 2018.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Max Earey
Aston Martin Lagonda —
Offering a "new kind of luxury mobility," the interior design of the Aston Martin Lagonda Vision was overseen by Savile Row tailors.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Max Earey
Aston Martin Lagonda —
As well as lush carpets of silk and cashmere, the self-driving car boasts front seats that rotate 180 degrees to facilitate face-to-face conversation on the move.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Tino Or
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio —
Designed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the new Lamborghini concept is like nothing else on the road.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Lamborghini
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio —
Italian for "Third Millennium," the Terzo Millenio would not look out of place in a sci-fi movie.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Lamborghini
Lamborghini Terzo Millennio —
Stefano Domenicali, Lamborghini CEO and Chairman, said the project "intends to write an important page in the future of super sports cars."
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
LVCHI
LVCHI Auto Venere —
All-electric four-seater saloon from China, the LVCHI Auto Venere claims to have a range of 403 miles (650km).
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
LVCHI
LVCHI Auto Venere —
It's longer than a Range Rover but that doesn't stop it shifting. The Auto Venere can reportedly accelerate from 0-100kph (62mph) in 2.7 seconds, delivering a top speed of 168mph (270kph).
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Renault
RENAULT EZ-GO —
Designed to transport up to to six passengers simultaneously, the EZ-GO concept is Renault's "vision of shared urban mobility."
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Renault
RENAULT EZ-GO —
The shared, electric driverless vehicle has been "built for the city" and has level four autonomous technology, meaning it would be able to handle all routine circumstances on recognizable roads.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Nissan
Nissan IMx KURO —
The days of the steering wheel may soon be over. Most controls aboard the IMx Kuro can be controlled via hand gestures and eye movements, according to the Japanese manufacturer.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Nissan
Nissan IMx KURO —
Brain-to-Vehicle, or B2V, technology enables the KURO to interpret signals from the human brain, speeding up reaction times and paving the way for cars that learn from each other. Should the driver wish to sit back and let the car do the work, its seats recline and the steering wheel retracts into the dashboard.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
HAROLD CUNNINGHAM/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Volkswagen I.D. Vizzion —
Expected to hit the roads by "2022 at the latest," the I.D. Vizzion is also designed to be used predominantly with voice and gesture.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Volkswagen I.D. Vizzion —
The car, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, is said to boast a range of 413 miles (665km) between charges and level five autonomous driving -- meaning it can handle any situation a human could negotiate.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Courtesy of Jaguar
Jaguar I-Pace —
Capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds, the first ever all-electric Jaguar has 395bhp and a range of 298 miles.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Courtesy of Jaguar
Jaguar I-Pace —
"Every Jaguar feels like no other car on the road," says a statement from the iconic British manufacturer. "Moving to all-electric power doesn't change this."
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Elextra
Elextra —
With a "revolutionary" four-wheel drive powertrain developing 671bhp, the Elextra will reportedly move from standstill to 62mph (100 kph) in less than 2.3 seconds.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Elextra
Elextra —
The Swiss-German built four-door car will have its top speed limited to 155mph (250 kph) but it boasts a range of over 600km on a single charge.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Hyundai
Hyundai Le Fil Rouge —
Hyunda claim the Le Fil Rouge adheres to the golden ratio -- a mathematical pattern found in nature -- culminating in a "sensuous sportiness."
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Hyundai
Hyundai Le Fil Rouge —
French for "common thread," Hyundai claim Le Fil Rouge is a car that connects Hyundai's past, present and future designs.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
David Becker/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Electra Meccanica Solo —
This one-seater offering might not be the fastest -- boasting estimated top speeds of just 82mph (130kph) -- but the diminutive three wheeler will zip you around the city where few other cars can go for just $15,500.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Sean Gallup/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Tesla Model X —
Described as the "safest SUV ever," the new Model X seats seven but can accelerate from 0-60mph in just 2.9 seconds.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
BMW i Vision Dynamics —
An amalgamation of the BMW i3 and BMW i8, the i Vision Dynamics concept has a range of 373 miles and accelerates from 0-62mph in four seconds.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Mini Electric Concept Car —
Expect to see all-electric Minis on the roads by 2019, marking the 60th anniversary of the legendary marque's first car.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Maruti Suzuki Electric e-Survivor —
A four-wheel drive SUV concept from India, the futuristic looking e-Survivor will be powered by dual electric motors on each wheel and be equipped for autonomous travel.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Techrules Racing
Techrules Ren RS —
Designed for track use only, the Chinese single-seat Techrules Ren RS can be configured with up to six electric motors, delivering up to 1,287bhp.
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Techrules Racing
Techrules Ren RS —
That lets it travel from 0-62mph (0-100kph) in three seconds with a max speed of 205mph (330kph).
Photos: Driving the future
PHOTO:
Techrules Racing
Techrules Ren RS —
What electric supercar concepts have you found most exciting in 2018? Have your say on CNN Sport's Facebook page.
“You also have to make sure that you have different teams competing with bikes at about the same level. Basically, the approach was to say okay, we’re not going to ask Honda, Yamaha and Ducati to come up with prototype electric bikes because that’s going to cost an awful lot, and then maybe one of them will be a lot faster than everybody else and it will not be a good show.”
Energica has a three-year contract to supply bikes to the series, but Goubert says key changes will be made to the production machine.
“There will be modifications, of course: battery, brakes, suspension, wheels,” he explains. “We’ll make it a race bike, but technology will be very similar; so, it won’t be a million-dollar prototype, it will be something down to earth, and that’s important.”
READ: Saudi Arabia to host Formula E
All seven privateer outfits from the MotoGP paddock will enter the new series in 2019. Hervé Poncharal, Principal of the highly successful Tech3 team, has been impressed by what he’s seen so far.
“We’re very excited, because since we saw that bike, although this is a year of preparation, we have seen the evolution since the Grand Prix in Qatar,” he told CNN.
PHOTO: Tech3 Racing
Poncharal, Principal of the Tech3 team says MotoGP will be a hybrid championship.
Unlike Formula E, MotoE will race on the same calendar as its bigger petrol-driven cousin, and Poncharal sees this as a crucial move. “In Formula One and Formula E you have two championships fighting each other, but MotoGP will be a hybrid championship, because the same championship, the same promoter, the same race day, will have a petrol engine and an electric engine,” he told CNN.
“So that means there will be comparisons on the same day with the same conditions, on the same circuit. We will compare lap times and hopefully we will see the gap between, say, a Moto2 and a MotoE bike reduce and shrink every single race.”
Poncharal also sees commercial benefits in MotoE’s green credentials.
“You run a race team, and you run a business,” he added. “And more and more you meet potential sponsors and they tell you, ‘yeah, but you know, the CO2 emissions, this is the past, and we don’t want to be part of that image’. Hopefully it could help us (to attract new sponsors).”
The Frenchman also wants the series to play a role in developing technology for consumers. “I would like to see MotoE like an R&D project for the person who will use a bike to commute in town or around the city. This is exciting, because you’re part of the future.”
But while sponsors may find environmentally friendly racing attractive, it remains to be seen whether bike culture – traditionally defined by its noisy, occasionally grimy nature – is ready for electric racing.
Capirossi admits that people may take convincing.
“When you talk with every rider, like Valentino Rossi, he says well, everybody says ‘we don’t like,’ ‘we like the sound,’ ‘we like the noise (of petrol bikes),’” he concedes, “you know because nobody really properly tested that type of bike.”
The Italian believes it will come down to the racing itself. “It’s really important we have 18 good riders on the track; for sure then the show becomes interesting.”
Goubert is also optimistic that fans can be won over. “When you have a change in technology you always have people doubting it.
“I am sure with electric bikes that some people will be reluctant at the beginning but gradually, over time and with technology changing, I am convinced that will change.”
Visit CNN.com/sport for more news and features
If MotoE takes off, might bike fans one day be willing to say goodbye to the roar of petrol engines? Goubert believes even that may change in time.
“If that technology is successful, for sure in 20 years’ time you will see young guys looking at us as if we were mad to go racing with all this noise.”
