Pedro Bianchi Prata will be the first rider to compete in a World Rally-Raid Championship race under FIM sanction with an electric bike when he brings his Honda Moeve to next week’s BP Ultimate Rally-Raid.

The bike was developed in partnership with Moeve, a Spanish energy company formerly known as Cepsa that has focused on green power lately. Moeve supplied a generator that uses biocompostable products and synthetic fuel. The battery is swapped out every 40 kilometers.

Bianchi debuted the motorcycle at the Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Branco in March, where he set the 30th fastest time for all bikes but was categorized in a separate Experimental division. Two months later, he finished 15th at the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura.

While the Moeve is the first EV bike to run a W2RC event with FIM oversight, electric motorcycles have appeared at the Dakar Rally as part of Mission 1000, which isn’t sanctioned by the federation. Segway built three such bikes for this year’s race.

“Rally Raid Portugal is a very special milestone for me and the entire team,” said Bianchi. “After starting this pioneering project in bajas, now is the time to prove that a 100% electric motorcycle can compete at the highest level in a World Rally-Raid Championship event.

“It will be a tough and demanding experience, but that’s exactly what we want to show: that the electric future is competitive even in the most extreme conditions. We are aware of the responsibility of this historic challenge and are highly motivated to continue paving the way for the motorcycling of the future.”

Bianchi will be in his own E-Bike category for the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid.

Featured image credit: Bianchi Prata OffroadCenter