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[j_humph]

Does anyone know if the newer batteries will work on a 2009 X?

I am looking at a used 2009 X, and it would be good to know if the 2012 battery will work with this bike.

Right now Zero's website has the 2010 battery available for sale. Will that work on te 2009 bike?

Thanks

[zap mc]

that is a really good question, have you asked Zero?
The old batteries had a nominal voltage of 58V, does anyone know what the new batteries are?

[Harlan]

The new batteries will not work. They have increased the pack voltage.

[protomech]

The 2012 batteries are all 66V nominal (18 x 3.7V). ZF3 (X, MX, XU) is 40 Ah nominal (2.6 kWh), ZF6 is 80 Ah nominal (5.3 kWh), ZF9 is 120 Ah nominal (7.9 kWh).

I believe the marketing capacity for the batteries is determined by the voltage when the pack has just been pulled off the charger, which would be 18 x 4.2V = 75V (so 75V x 40 Ah = 3.0 kWh, etc).

[j_humph]

OK, here is the answer I got from Zero:

Yes the 2010 battery will work on the 2009 bike.
The 2011 battery will work but you might need to order an adaptor, The 2012 battery will not work on the that bike.
 

-Jay

[zap mc]

So much for the "modular concept" of electric motorcycle that Zero originally proposed that would allow you to update your bike with the latest hardware as it became avalable.

Wonder what would happen to anyone who purchased the "No fault Warranty" that allowed you to upgrade your bike to the latest spec of battery or motor at 50% of the retail price?

[dkw12002]

Yes, but if there are no upgrades possible, then the upgrade does not apply. They may upgrade the tires, seats, display, etc. I suspect the 2013 will have different technology again making few upgrades possible. Look for water-cooling in the S and DS models, more range, and more speed next year, and few upgrades from 2012 to 2013 even possible. That's how they sell new bikes afterall. 

[zap mc]

Yes, but if there are no upgrades possible, then the upgrade does not apply. They may upgrade the tires, seats, display, etc. I suspect the 2013 will have different technology again making few upgrades possible. Look for water-cooling in the S and DS models, more range, and more speed next year, and few upgrades from 2012 to 2013 even possible. That's how they sell new bikes afterall. 

The warranty specifically covered major items like motor and battery as no one would want to pay $800 to have the ability to replace a seat or other such minor item and certainly we all appreciate that manufacturers sell new models as they are upgraded, but the whole point was to have an "eco" company that did away with the consumerism aspect and allowed the customer to keep the bike they bought and update it as new and better items became available so we did not add to the carbon footprint by making a whole new bike when only the battery or motor had improved. On that basis you could have bought an $8000 Zero S in 2010 and upgraded the battery and motor to a 2012 spec for say $2000

[dkw12002]

Competition, mass-production, and advancing technology will negate the modular concept idea I'm afraid. Everyone is going to want the latest, greatest, fastest, farthest. We also want cheapest, but we ain't gonna get that.

[protomech]

Yes, but if there are no upgrades possible, then the upgrade does not apply. They may upgrade the tires, seats, display, etc. I suspect the 2013 will have different technology again making few upgrades possible. Look for water-cooling in the S and DS models, more range, and more speed next year, and few upgrades from 2012 to 2013 even possible. That's how they sell new bikes afterall. 

I suspect we'll see no significant new technology in 2013, just price reductions and a couple of tweaks. Perhaps a faster J1772-compatible charger and a built-in 12V plug.

The warranty specifically covered major items like motor and battery as no one would want to pay $800 to have the ability to replace a seat or other such minor item and certainly we all appreciate that manufacturers sell new models as they are upgraded, but the whole point was to have an "eco" company that did away with the consumerism aspect and allowed the customer to keep the bike they bought and update it as new and better items became available so we did not add to the carbon footprint by making a whole new bike when only the battery or motor had improved. On that basis you could have bought an $8000 Zero S in 2010 and upgraded the battery and motor to a 2012 spec for say $2000

Retail cost probably looks something like this:
* motor $2000
* motor controller $1000
* 7.9 kwh ZF9 battery $7500 (@ $2500 delta between 5.3 and 7.9 kWh battery)
* cabling, wire harnesses, various bits and bobs $500

$11000 parts retail cost to upgrade, $5500 at half cost. Plus installation. Frame may be slightly different now as well, may require some custom metalwork.

A 2010 owner could probably sell their old parts for a couple thousand bucks. Sounds like a pretty good deal. Is that warranty still being offered on new Zeros?

[dkw12002]

Sounds about right with those prices, but I think the retail motor price for the 2012 would be a little more.  With the S model between 2011 and 2012, the frame is different as well, so if you change the frame, motor, controller, battery, wiring harness (complete wiring cause the 2012 has a higher gauge wire), what you've changed would be more than what is left over money and work-wise, so you would just buy a new bike and get the 2-year warranty.