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ZERO Motorcycles - All electric

Look really cool

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/

Quote:

Zero Motorcycles Leads the Industry: First to Pass National EPA Certification and to Meet US and Canadian Safety Standards
Zero’s All-Electric Motorcycle Achieves Equivalent of 455 MPG

Zero Motorcycles has announced that it is the first and only electric motorcycle company to achieve three major milestones. They have passed both the US and Canadian safety standards and attained a ‘Certificate of Conformity’ from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a result, buyers of the Zero S and Zero DS can now benefit from major government incentives. They can also feel confident in the motorcycles’ superior engineering and environmental benefits. Under the proposed EPA regulations issued on Sept 15, 2009, the Zero S and DS achieve an equivalent of 455 MPG and generate zero grams of CO2 per mile.
“We are extremely pleased to be the first electric motorcycle company to have completed these rigorous testing programs,” said Gene Banman, CEO of Zero Motorcycles. “Passing these tests allows our customers to save money while also giving them confidence in the design and safety of our motorcycles.”
The Zero S is a fully electric motorcycle that is built from the ground up around its revolutionary drivetrain technology. It is a street legal supermoto motorcycle that is designed for urban riding. The Zero DS is the dual sport version of the Zero S and can be ridden on anything from city streets to dirt trails. While performance usually comes at an environmental cost, the Zero S and DS are enticing to even the most environmentally conscious consumers. The motorcycles are not only zero emissions vehicles; they are also completely non-toxic and almost 100% recyclable. This unique combination of performance and low overall environmental impact sets a new high standard in the industry.
Completion of the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) along with the US EPA Certificate of Conformity means that the Zero S and DS meet all the requirements for newly created Federal tax credits on street legal electric motorcycles. It allows buyers to receive the 10% Federal tax credit and the state sales tax credit established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The fully homologated and government certified Zero S and DS are available for purchase exclusively through Zero Motorcycles’ website. They are priced at $9,950 and for US customers this means a post Federal tax credit price of $8,955. For more information on these electric motorcycles visit:ZERO MOTORCYCLES ? The Electric Motorcycle Company - Official Site
Zero Motorcycles first entered the motorcycle industry in 2006 with the fully electric Drift. In 2008 it launched the Zero X, which exceeded all expectations by selling out before the year’s end. Its success blazed the path for the long awaited launch of the street legal Zero S in 2009. Earlier this summer Zero Motorcycles announced the Zero MX and the Zero DS. The Zero MX is made specifically for dirt track riding and motocross. The Zero DS, a dual sport, is their most recent model and can be ridden on any surface from a city street to a gravel road or dirt trail.
For more about Zero Motorcycles, visit ZERO MOTORCYCLES ? The Electric Motorcycle Company - Official Site.
For media information, please contact Ashley Garing, DRIVEN Media Communications Driven Media Communications - Home, 951-461-2429 or media@zeromotorcycles.com.

Source: Zero Motorcycles

Cool, except how far can you go on a charge? I can easily blow through a tank of gas in a few hours, thier batteries certainly cant provide even close to the equivalent of one charge.

I would like to see some sort of industry standard for electric vehicles, one that works with both cars and bikes. Stop at a battery (gas) station and just swap out your used/drained batteries for some fresh ones. Make the batteries a standard size that would work in any vehicle. Imagine pulling up to a station and asking for 2 100kw batteries.

The charging aspect is the major bump in any electric. simply can't charge em as fast as you can add fuel to a petro motor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gas Man (Post 279367)

The charging aspect is the major bump in any electric. simply can't charge em as fast as you can add fuel to a petro motor.

Thats why i really think there should be interchangable standard batteries, just pull the old ones out, drop some new ones in and blammo fresh charge, ready to go

Patent the shit then!

I know nothing about batteries, and I'm lazy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gas Man (Post 279367)

The charging aspect is the major bump in any electric. simply can't charge em as fast as you can add fuel to a petro motor.

unless you have reaction batteries the shit makes no sense.

The problem with electric cars is simple.

With a standard combusion motor you pull into a gas station and within mins you are refueled and back on the rd.

With electric, it takes hours and hours to recharge. So on a long distance trip you would be basically limited by the initial charge milage.

In one of my recent Motorcyclist mags they have a bunch of different e-bikes and a pretty good article on the Isle of Man electric class. Battery and charging tech will always be the issue with electric bikes. Motocysz or whatever built a bike with swappable battery packs. It didn't work and couldn't race but it looked neat. Shit just makes me wonder... Why do peiple keep givig this guy money?

At some point in time I want to build an electric bike just for grins.

For a commuter I think it will work well with the current technology, you just need a place to charge it even if its just an outlet, so drive it to work then back home, charge it overnight and youre good for tomorrow. For touring or recreational purposes its not feasible though. Dont want ot be 200 miles from home and it runs out of juice since ya just cant push it to a gas station and fill er up.

Tom

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho (Post 279475)

the preachy feel good dick riding writing in those articles saw that mag hit the trash about 15 minutes after i got it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommymac (Post 279479)

Exactly... that is my point.

But for these dirt bikes it may be cool.

Saw a strange bike last night while walking my dog. Except for the newest and antique ones, I can identify most bikes if they have the original paint job. So this bike is waiting at the red light, but I couldn't identify it. Looked like a Ducati HyperMotard. I figured I could tell from the exhaust when he accelerated at the green light. So the light changes and the bike takes off without a sound. Nothing. No exhaust noise, no chain noise, no gear whine, nothing. After it went by I saw it was a Zero.
http://s2.bikewalls.com/pictures/Duc...2_1024x768.jpg
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/image...main-image.jpg

I like that, and it's nice to see an all-electric that isn't outrageously priced.

My commute, though, is 50 miles long and a good chunk of that time is spent at about 70mph. It needs more top speed and more range.

I could really get behind a plug-in electric for commuting duty, if the price was right and the performance was satisfactory.

Saw one at the Audi museum. Pretty cool. KTM even has an all electric dirt bike.

That KTM is pretty sweet. I'd try one, but I will never switch over. Then again people were shitting all over 4-stroke MX bikes until Doug Henry spanked their asses on one back in 97, next thing you know companies are struggling to put fuel injection in their bikes and bend every rule on the books to build the fastest motor setup possible.

AMA outlawed the Aprilia Vtwin setup because it would outclass the traditional single cylinder, and upped the displacement for 4 strokes to compensate the 2 strokes. Now 2ts are allowed to run the CC equivalent per class because they're "trying" to save them in amateur racing. Can't imagine bringing in the whole world of electrics to the table.

More official info on the 2012 S

Quote:

Zero Motorcycle 2012 S Model
Published by Cyril Huze

http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/wp-cont...ads/Zero-S.jpg

In the race among all-electric motorcycle manufacturers to produce a bike with enough juice for speed and travel range on a single charge, Zero Motorcycles just launched in North America a new model called the Zero S. The manufacturer claims that this 2012 model is capable of covering up to 100 miles or 160km on a single charge, and also has enough power to reach speeds in excess of 140 kmph. The new Z-Force power pack that the Zero S uses is capable of 3000 charging cycles, is said to last the lifetime of the bike, and can be recharged in less than four hours. The Zero S new powertrain received a new air cooled system to keep it operating at moderate temperatures, is equipped with a double diamond rear swingarm and a custom rear shock with a fully adjustable spring preload. Available in 2 power configurations, the 6 and 9kWh. Is it the future? Zero Motorcycles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gas Man (Post 507545)

More official info on the 2012 S

I think they need to double the range on them for it to be something viable. At 100 miles I can see it as a commuter bike and not much else, esp considering a good riding day with my buddies can go well over 300 miles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommymac (Post 507550)

I would definitely use one as a commuter if it was cost-effective. Unfortunately, at $12K, they are anything but cost-effective.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey (Post 507671)

I would definitely use one as a commuter if it was cost-effective. Unfortunately, at $12K, they are anything but cost-effective.

With the commutes I have it would def be feasible but wouldnt be worth it for much else.