My friend at the airport just purchased a Zero (brand) electric motorcycle with the biggest available battery. He was kind enough to let me take it for a good ride. My first impression was that of a small, lightweight dual sport bike (enduro) with the very pleasant aspect of no vibration. The battery is a 9Kwh Li-ion battery setup, with a built in charger. Zero has engineered this bike for maximum battery life, so wheelies and very rapid starts are out of the question. The acceleration is much like a full loaded airliner. Starts out gentle, but keeps on going and going and going, at an acceptable rate, right up to it's top speed.
My friend commutes on it, guessing about 25 miles each way, at highway speeds. Roads here are flat, open and traffic moves fast. The Zero will keep up with highway traffic with relative ease. But it won't go much faster. Passing at highway speeds is impossible. Much like a 250cc dual sport. The published "peak" top speed is 80MPH, and max sustained is 70MPH, where it will go 62 miles. City range is better at 112 miles, due to regenerative braking and lower drag.
Both my friend and I agree that the electric motorcycle is finally "just good enough" for basic use. It is just a touch small, light and has limited range, power and speed, when compared to a modern 250 enduro. I could easily see a situation where it's 60 miles range would be used up in a hurry, with a commute and a stop elsewhere. It's a good thing he can plug in at work, as the airport is remote and the nearest lunch is 15 miles away! It will be interesting to see how it works in real world, daily use and how much practical range it has. I suspect it will be a perfect commuter.
Would I like it? YES! It's smooth, comfortable, quiet, goes instantly, needs no warm up and has enough range to be worry free (with good management)
My friend commutes on it, guessing about 25 miles each way, at highway speeds. Roads here are flat, open and traffic moves fast. The Zero will keep up with highway traffic with relative ease. But it won't go much faster. Passing at highway speeds is impossible. Much like a 250cc dual sport. The published "peak" top speed is 80MPH, and max sustained is 70MPH, where it will go 62 miles. City range is better at 112 miles, due to regenerative braking and lower drag.
Both my friend and I agree that the electric motorcycle is finally "just good enough" for basic use. It is just a touch small, light and has limited range, power and speed, when compared to a modern 250 enduro. I could easily see a situation where it's 60 miles range would be used up in a hurry, with a commute and a stop elsewhere. It's a good thing he can plug in at work, as the airport is remote and the nearest lunch is 15 miles away! It will be interesting to see how it works in real world, daily use and how much practical range it has. I suspect it will be a perfect commuter.
Would I like it? YES! It's smooth, comfortable, quiet, goes instantly, needs no warm up and has enough range to be worry free (with good management)
