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I like this moto but it only rates a cool... and that is only because of the pioneering efforts to bring an electric motorcycle to the market. Even if we are to ignore the issue with range, and accept that this bike would be a specialized commuter, which is not a trivial niche, it just does not make economic sense.

Consider that it costs 2x a Honda CB500F, a bike with similar looks and similar performance.

Lets say that is $7500 more to ride the Zero. How long before you break even on fuel costs?

If you have a fairly long daily commute, perhaps 75 miles each way, with charging the Zero at work, then the Zero is going to cost about $2 a day in electrons, and the CB500F will cost about $6.25 a day in gas assuming 60 mpg and $2.5 a gallon. That is saving of $4.25 a day or about $1100 a year for commuting. It is going to take almost 7 years just to break even on the difference in price and that is if you commute 150 miles round trip 5 days a week all year round for the duration. For myself, I have a 9 mile commute by motorcycle, it is only about 5 by cage, so that is about 18 miles a day. I will likely die of old age before I save $7500 on fuel for my commute.

In order for the Zero S to make sense, it needs to be about half the price, and then I would be willing to overlook the enormous disadvantage of the limited range. If the Zero was price competitive, then I think a lot of people would put one in the garage for commuting, but until then it is likely to be a bike with sales limited to those who have a lot of money to spend on toys or those for whom riding a Zero S will be an environmental religious experience.

For those living in jurisdictions where most of the price of a gallon of gas are costs imposed by the government, evading those draconian fuel taxes is going to make the Zero a lot more economically competitive.

Safe Travels,
Richard

I wonder why most of the pioneering companies when it comes to zero emissions motorcycles are in the US. I expected a bigger number of companies from Europe, with its higher cost of fuel, as well as higher percentage of "non-lifestyle" (commute/transportation) motorcycle use.

Anyway, I admire and respect the fact that Zero is leading the charge (ahem), and give it a cool vote for that. But I still wouldn't get one for the price, range, and limited use issues that have already been mentioned.

Consider the following:

2014 Zero S + Power Tank

City : 171 miles
55mph: 106 miles
75mph: 88 miles

Estimated battery life to 80%: 385,000 miles


2015 Zero S + Power Tank

City : 185 miles
55mph: 115 miles
70mph: 94 miles

Estimated battery life to 80%: 415,000 miles

So in ONE MODEL YEAR, Zero improved their efficiencies by:

City: 8%
55mph: 15%
70mph: 25%

Battery Life: 8%

Now, my 2001 Kawasaki VN800 gets between 40 and 50 mpg depending on how you ride.
The 2015 Vulcan 900 Classic gets...between 40 and 50 mpg depending on how you ride.
Which means that Kawasaki has improved their efficiency 00.00% in FOURTEEN EFFIN YEARS!!

Electricity is the fuel of the future, oil is on it's way out. If you don't believe that, visit a train museum.

The Zero is far too expensive for what it does and can do, but that's the market. Give them the leeway to standardize their production process and let them get a little volume under their belts, and they could offer this bike for less than a one year old Honda Rebel with a dented tank and busted turn signals on the left side.

Show me one other manufacturer that's improved their efficiency this much in a single year, and I'll give them an AWESOME too.

Electricity is already in widespread use in those applications where the use of electricity has economic advantages, but as electricity is not a fuel, it can not possible be the fuel of the future.

Currently, in the United States, about 66.5% of all electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels, primarily coal and natural gas. World wide, the number is about the same, although some countries, such as France, produce most of their electricity in nuclear power plants. It is going to be a long time before we are done with fossil fuels and the transition is likely to be gradual instead of sudden.

If the cost of battery technology is reduced, products like the Zero S will gain market share as they will be more economically competitive. If a new Zero S can be sold at a price point far below a similar new bike, a CB500F, or at the same price as a used Honda Rebel with a dented tank and busted turn signals, there are going to be a lot of Zero products in a lot of garages including mine.

Safe Travels,
Richard

One thing I notice no one (including my blushing self) has commented on is how it looks. Not a fan of yellow, myself, but I think the black looks ok. I'm still waiting for someone to actually redesign the whole thing so it is its own form, not a bike shape with a lump of a battery where the cylinders used to be. I know this is just part of the whole evolutionary path - Motorcycles used to be bicycles with motors where the pedals used to be - but I'm hoping to see some one actually re-imagine the whole concept of personal transport and see what they come up with.

Hanson wrote:Electricity is already in widespread use in those applications where the use of electricity has economic advantages, but as electricity is not a fuel, it can not possible be the fuel of the future.

Currently, in the United States, about 66.5% of all electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels, primarily coal and natural gas. World wide, the number is about the same, although some countries, such as France, produce most of their electricity in nuclear power plants. It is going to be a long time before we are done with fossil fuels and the transition is likely to be gradual instead of sudden.


Safe Travels,
Richard

Currently in British Columbia our power is generated by hydro power. Dams and raging rivers.

2015 Zero S - Coolness Factor = 61.8%
Featured: December 5th, 2014 - December 12th, 2014
Most popular vote category: Cool


Motorcycle Cool Wall discussion: viewtopic.php?f=61&t=50435
Total Motorcycle model page: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/motorcyc ... Zero-S.htm

Your Coolness Factor of the 2015 Zero S is:

Awesome (3 points) 26% [ 9 ]
Cool (2 points) 47% [ 16 ]
Uncool (1 point) 12% [ 4 ]
Fail (0 point) 15% [ 5 ]

Total votes: 34


= a Coolwall Factor of 61.8%

NOTES: Innovative but at a cost. Zero keeps making their models better and more efficient but the cost is still a hard swallow for the majority of motorcyclists. As technology improves, Zero should be able to keep lowering the model cost. But the double edged sword here is technology always gets superseded and few want "old tech", thus a 10 year old Zero could be a "throw-away" technology similar to a 1MP digital camera.

Next 2014 TMW Cool Wall bike is now up for voting on, have fun!