ZERO Motorcycles - All electric

[Gas Man]

Look really cool

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/

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

[derf]

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.

[Gas Man]

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.

[derf]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

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

[Gas Man]

Patent the shit then!

[derf]

I know nothing about batteries, and I'm lazy

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

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.

[Gas Man]

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.

[OneSickPsycho]

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.

[tommymac]

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