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[dhzehrbach]

The details of the new ZEV Electric motorcycle just launched this week are now up on the company web site at http://www.zelectricvehicle.com/30.html 

The goal was to drive down the price of a long range electric motorcycle and build in the on bike, in the body storage for commuters.  The bike, despite the cost of a full fairing and a line of windshields from those shown to touring is offered at $12,490.   
Range at 55 mph                          129 km / 80 miles
Range at 70 mph                          113 km / 70 miles
Max continuous speed                 80 mph / 127 kmh
Continuous power output            13 kw
Peak power motor rating              45 kw

The bike has all of its battery low in the chassis--between 6 and 12 inches lower than other competitors and does not need to sacrifice the space of its "tank" storage for battery space.  It has much larger brakes than all competitors, and with the range and body, offers more at a lower price.  This bike is to be the low end anchor for this faired bike model with another expected about every 6 months during 2016. 

[mrwilsn]

I definitely like the storage tank!



And the blue glow lighting! Would like to see how it looks at night.



And the lights look pretty cool too!





Having the motor controller hanging from the side of the bike like a muffler on an ICE bike is interesting.  I imagine it's not any more susceptible to water than the motor controller on a Zero which is right above the wheel....although it seems like that would be a lot of weight to have on just one side of the bike.  I wonder if they have done anything to balance the weight on the other side?

[mrwilsn]

According to the site the charger isn't on the bike....really?!?!  I would never buy an electric bike that I couldn't charge away from home without carrying a charger in a back pack....or using up all the space in that awesome storage tank.

[dhzehrbach]

Glad to read that you like the storage tank. 
The controller on the side is how we have made all of the ZEV except the smallest.  It frees up space in the bike for battery and puts the controller in the best position for cooling.  Its not that heavy and you cannot feel its weight.
The charger is radically larger in power output than a Zeros charger.  2100 watts draw.  So this is under 4 hour charge.  The issue with built in chargers revolves around the fact that they 1) must be smaller than non built in for getting it in the bike 2) chargers are the number one failure point in a well made electric bike 3) Not building them in lets customers swap out instead of taking a bike to a dealer.   
As the designer, I prefer to have more battery space and nuts to charging.  The goal is to stuff every ounce of battery in the bike and have it run so long you do not need to charge. I can put another battery pack in a bike for the cost of an onboard charger, and then the customer wants a faster off board unit for home anyhow.  With the big tank storage, the bike will swallow the charger and leave room to spare. 

[mrwilsn]

The charger is radically larger in power output than a Zeros charger.  2100 watts draw.  So this is under 4 hour charge.

The stock charger for a Zero is 1.3kW.  The new charge tank option adds another 2.5kW for a total of 3.8kW of onboard charging.  That gets charge time on a 13kWh pack down to less than 3 hours.  The M-13 S is only 8.4kWh (not sure if that's nominal or max) so you would be able to recharge in less than 3 hours...maybe like 2.5 hours in real world use.

The DigiNow Super Charger brings 7.5kW from a J1772 in addition to the 1.3kW from the stock charger for 8.8kW.  Plug into a NEMA 14-50 and that bumps up to 10kW.  This makes charge times of less than 1 hour possible.

It's infinitely more useful to be able to go 70 miles at 70mph and recharge in 1 hour than to be able to go 85 miles at 70mph and then have to wait 4-5 hours or more to recharge.

Can a top box and side cases be put on the M-13 S?  It seems like the motor controller on the side would interfere with a side case.  What is the pack voltage?  Maybe the DigiNow charger will work with the M-13 S.

[mrwilsn]

With the big tank storage, the bike will swallow the charger and leave room to spare.

The storage tank doesn't look big enough for a helmet...which would be awesome....or a messenger bag with a laptop inside....which would also be awesome....but exactly how many liters of storage does it have and what are the internal dimensions?

[Doctorbass]

Look like it is using hub motor type.  Interesting to see it can sustain 13kW and peak to 45kW.

Doc

[firepower]

This is good , more competition and  fairings as standard. Not bad for first motorcycle, hopefully they keep improving like zero does.
will be good to see comparison with similar speced Zero / Victory Empulse.

Hopefully Victory will release new models too.

[Erasmo]

Glad to read that you like the storage tank. 
The controller on the side is how we have made all of the ZEV except the smallest.  It frees up space in the bike for battery and puts the controller in the best position for cooling.  Its not that heavy and you cannot feel its weight.
The charger is radically larger in power output than a Zeros charger.  2100 watts draw.  So this is under 4 hour charge.  The issue with built in chargers revolves around the fact that they 1) must be smaller than non built in for getting it in the bike 2) chargers are the number one failure point in a well made electric bike 3) Not building them in lets customers swap out instead of taking a bike to a dealer.   
As the designer, I prefer to have more battery space and nuts to charging.  The goal is to stuff every ounce of battery in the bike and have it run so long you do not need to charge. I can put another battery pack in a bike for the cost of an onboard charger, and then the customer wants a faster off board unit for home anyhow.  With the big tank storage, the bike will swallow the charger and leave room to spare.

Congratulations  on the bike, it must be quite a step for a company that until now has focused primarily on scooter-esque motor.
Perhaps you can lift the curtain a little bit about the next bike in the pipeline?

Also, purely for clarity you might want to add to your signature that you work for ZEV and include a link to the site.

[NEW2elec]

Well this bike pretty much has all the things we talked about for the 2016 Zeros. Fairings lockable lid storage and an approach of easy fixing for me is great.  That controller on the side makes for easy replacement if damaged or to upgrade or put one on the other side umm just to balance the weight not to make it faster or anything. Love the center stand for spring adjusting and tire removal and parking.  Off board charger again for easy replacing if broken or upgrades are made for new charging types.  If it can fit in the storage tank no net loss either way, also could take Cowboy's fast charger and fill up quick.  It's a shame all these companies can't work together but money makes the world go round.  ZEVROEGOLIGHTNINGBRO anyone?  Nice bike needs more Kwhs and maybe faster but very good entry.  Keep it up.

[ctrlburn]

Impressive range from the battery - aerodynamics adding a fair(ing) share of that.

I'm not hub motor phobic, so to my eye the bike legitimatizes the wheel bulk. Nice commitment to the front brakes.

Such specificity in the torque measurement  "Motor Torque - 280 Nm (206 lb ft) at 170 rpm measured at the air gap OD at 180 amps"  is this real world comparable is it still linear delivery ?

Such talk about the acceleration - and the braking... good logic in the narrative but does not really present a comparable.

0-60?
60-0?  (in feet)

Being an early adopter might have its own benefits:
http://www.zelectricvehicle.com/14.html


If this meets the hype, I'll be checking airfare (if you know what I mean).

[kingcharles]

Is this a faired version of the Evoke?

www.evokemotorcycles.com/

[teddillard]

"Impressive"?  What am I missing?  Is this 2012?   
https://evmc2.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/zero-zf9-vs-brammo-empulse-r-spec-battle/

(don't neglect the price there, too... and the NCM chemistry, even then.)

...and you don't need to be "phobic" to have an idea of what the physics of 60 or 80lbs of motor does to the handling of a bike in the bumpy-twisties.  Not a fan.

[ctrlburn]

"Impressive" as I expected ZEV to use a larger than Zero battery to deliver Zero level ranges.

The physics and gyroscopic magnitude aside, I'll rephrase and say "My riding style and preferences doesn't automatically trigger hub motor phobia".  I'd rather ride and decide.

I do have a challenge in the bumpy twisties of getting the front end to stay heavy (maybe a hub motor up there would help) through the apex short of climbing onto the handlebars.

Bulk too would help feel less twitchy at higher speeds. Realizing my non-Zero cycle weighs over 500 pounds. More weight in the rims would go a long way for adding a comparable feeling of substance.  At interstate speeds my Zero feels little difference from a high speed bicycle by comparison.

[CrashCash]

More weight in the rims would go a long way for adding a comparable feeling of substance.  At interstate speeds my Zero feels little difference from a high speed bicycle by comparison.

But... but... that's what I bought my Zero FOR! Because it feels like a 250cc dirtbike with a Hayabusa engine stuffed in it that magically didn't get heavier.

Manhandling my FJR is a chore now. It's like flying a B-52 compared to an F-16. It gets ridden once or maybe twice a month now.