2010 Zero S (Electric) - COOL WALL VOTE: COOL

Your Coolness Factor of the 2010 Zero S (Electric) is...

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jstark47
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Re: 2010 Zero S (Electric) - COOL WALL VOTE: In progress

#21 Unread post by jstark47 »

totalmotorcycle wrote:Thinking of batteries for the Zero...I wonder if it has the same "cold temperature issues" normal batteries have today. Cold temperatures = shorter life, harder starting and the power runs out sooner.
Certainly. Batteries produce power through chemical reactions. Those reactions slow down in cold temperatures, affecting the current the battery can produce. If you start with a 50 mile range, then reduce it by 20%-30% in cold weather..... for me this becomes a vehicle with no practical utility whatever. I'm not going to purchase and maintain a separate vehicle solely for 15 mile errand trips. It's a nifty idea - so is antigravity! Physics is a brutal mistress.
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Re: 2010 Zero S (Electric) - COOL WALL VOTE: In progress

#22 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

jstark47 wrote:
totalmotorcycle wrote:Thinking of batteries for the Zero...I wonder if it has the same "cold temperature issues" normal batteries have today. Cold temperatures = shorter life, harder starting and the power runs out sooner.
Certainly. Batteries produce power through chemical reactions. Those reactions slow down in cold temperatures, affecting the current the battery can produce. If you start with a 50 mile range, then reduce it by 20%-30% in cold weather..... for me this becomes a vehicle with no practical utility whatever. I'm not going to purchase and maintain a separate vehicle solely for 15 mile errand trips. It's a nifty idea - so is antigravity! Physics is a brutal mistress.
It does make you wonder than for many in cooler and colder climates how useful electric engines will be overall then.
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Re: 2010 Zero S (Electric) - COOL WALL VOTE: COOL

#23 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

New bike up this week to discuss, vote and debate on:

2011 H-D V-Rod Muscle- COOL WALL VOTE: In progress

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Now go give er, eh!

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2010 Zero S (Electric) - COOL WALL VOTE: COOL

#24 Unread post by CentralOzzy »

Cool.....it will be just a matter of time before they are everywhere, especially in cities. I'm wondering if they will put in a 'sampled' sound of a 'real' M/C into it? Imagine turning a dial to have a Ducati sound....or a Harley sound? Lol....anyway they will become better as time ticks on.

I'd have one just for the fun factor/experience.

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Re: 2010 Zero S (Electric) - COOL WALL VOTE: COOL

#25 Unread post by ceemes »

All though the official vote for this machine is over, I still voted cool on it.

Given that electric bikes are really starting to make inroads as local short distance commuting machines, its good to see on that has a little more oomph (read as speed) and range then most.

As Gummy pointed out, the technology on all electric vehicles is still rather new, one can only wonder what the next five to twenty years have installed for us. I figure we will see better and more useful electric vehicles in the very near future.

However, I do have to question just how green this machine really is compared to traditional motorcycles. The batteries used by the Toyota Prius and other mainstream electric cars are really not that green at all. They are made from semi-rare ores and earths which have to be mined (Canada being a major supplier of these materials), then shipped overseas to be refined and more often then not, the refined material is again shipped overseas to be made into batteries. Then there is the lifespan of these batteries and their disposal after they are spent. And of course there is the question where do you get the electricity to recharge them from to begin with. Sure, you can just plug this bike into a wall socket and bingo, four hours later you are good for another 50 miles of travel, but where does that electricty come from in the first place?

If you are lucky to live in a place like BC where the majority of our electricty comes from hydro-electric generating dams which are arguably the greenest method of producting electrical power, then you are laughing. But most electricity is not producted by hydro-electric dams but by either hydrocarbon (read as coal, oil, gas) burning plants. So, in many cases your are simply trading off one form pollution causing hydrocarbon use for another.

Personally, I believe future does belong to electric vehicles, but not the type that run on batteries or you have to plug into socket to charge up. Nope, the future most likely will be some form of power cell technology such as Ballard Systems has been working on for the past couple of decades. Main problems with that technology is that while Hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the Univers, free Hydrogen (Hydrogen molecules that are not bonded to other elements) is not that common on our mud ball of a planet. So a cheap means of cracking Hydrogen has to be developed before Hydrogen Fuel Cells can be as cost effective as current Hydrocarbon extraction and use currently is. The second problem to be over come is containment. Hydrogen is notoriously hard to contain and has a habit of seeping out of most containment systems, especially in its gasous state. Liquidfied and under pressure its a bit easier to contain, but bring a whole new set of issues to deal with.
Always ask why.

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Re: 2010 Zero S (Electric) - COOL WALL VOTE: COOL

#26 Unread post by jstark47 »

Motorcycle Consumer News tested the Zero DS model for their July issue. They discovered that when freeway speeds are included in a run, range reduces from the claimed 58 miles to more like 26-27 miles. It also takes a 4 hour charge cycle to recharge.

As far as I'm concerned, this makes these bikes a complete no-go as commuters - unless you have a 5 mile commute on back streets. I couldn't even get to work on one of these, let alone make the full round trip. (No way my employer is going to provide me a charging outlet for 4 hours a day.)
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