Electric scooters are nice, but a Zero Motorcycle fills the need for speed
I had the chance to take a new Zero S electric motorcycle for a spin yesterday. Zero Motorcycles was in Toronto and I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. The California company launched its Zero S highway-capable motorcycle in the United States earlier this month and is now focusing its attention on its Canadian launch.
You can get the details from my Toronto Star article, but generally, I’ll say I was surprised at the power of this gearless machine. In fact, the torque was so strong it took some getting used to when starting from a stopped position. But seriously, acceleration? Holy crap Batman… this machine goes, like from zero to 100 km/h in less than four seconds (though I’d like to point out to my wife that I didn’t experience this first hand, given the limited space in the parking lot I was in). And very lightweight at just 102 kilograms.
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
April 28th, 2009 at 7:53 am
$10,000 for a ZERO motorbike or $1,500 for a KLD electric scooter….?
“Rather than looking at making batteries more efficient, KLD has improved the performance of the engine itself. The company has built an engine using nano-crystalline composite materials, which it believes is 10 times more efficient than traditional iron core motors, giving an output of 2500 hertz.
Together with a computerized motor control, the KLD engine is compatible with any type of battery. Top speed of the KLD scooter is about 55 mph, which is almost double that of many electric scooters and delivers twice as much torque, accelerating from 0 to 50 mph in ten seconds. The engine also doesn’t require a transmission.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/20/eco.electricscooter/index.html?iref=intlOnlyonCNN
May 1st, 2009 at 7:50 am
I find the idea of an electric motorcycle very intriguing and would love to try one out (particularly since Tyler alerted us to the performance!), but instantly wonder about it’s application.
Using very much of its power would likely lead to limited range due to more rapid battery depletion, since the faster you pull energy out of a battery, the lower it’s efficiency.
On a good day, who would want to be out riding for only an hour or two? My experience is that for off road riding, by the time you have gone to all the trouble of getting your gear packed up and transported out of the city to a good riding area, you plan to be there for at least 4 hours. If these bikes couldn’t last that long, and I really doubt that they could, it would end up just being just a tease!
Are they perhaps just planned to be a bit of a toy for limited use?
May 3rd, 2009 at 8:42 pm
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May 21st, 2009 at 3:00 am
Imagine instant torque and power from a standstill. Imagine smooth and exhilarating acceleration as you race out of the turns. Then, imagine never needing to stop at the gas station. Meet the Zero S electric motorcycles. Developed to aggressively take on urban environments and encourage the occasional detour, the Zero S Electric Motorcycle integrates revolutionary technology with innovative motorcycle design. Using Zero Motorcycles’ proprietary Z-Force power pack and aircraft grade alloy frame, the Zero S features an industry leading power-to-weight ratio that increases its range and top speed. Coming in at just 225 pounds, the Zero S weighs about 75 pounds less than competing gas-powered supermoto bikes like the Yamaha WR250X. Coupled to an electric motor that puts out 62.5 lb-ft of torque at zero RPM, the Zero S is sure to be plenty of fun in the tight confines of a race track… or the streets of New York City, apparently. The Zero S comes with our Z-Force lithium ion power pack and an integrated fast charger.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Electric scooter or bike is the bike of the future. Save gas and good for the planet.