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Author Topic: elcon chargers - first impression  (Read 1066 times)

gyrocyclist

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elcon chargers - first impression
« on: January 16, 2017, 07:11:27 AM »

Received two Elcon chargers from Hollywood Electrics a week ago. Tried them out for the first time today (it's been a bit wet in N. California the past few days.) Initial impressions:
1. The ChargePoint app can be misleading. There was one HUGE blob of green in San Jose that I stopped by -- to discover it was a parking lot under construction. App showed available, free stations at Palo Alto library; and as I'm sitting in the parking lot, all are in use. In another case the map didn't match up to what I was seeing in the same place, sitting on my bike. That said, overall I think the app is pretty good.
2. Finally found a station and struggled and struggled, trying to pull the protective cap off the connecter (on the Zero). Finally realized it had been zip-tied on!!! Stopped by a CVS and bought a box-cutter, problem solved.
3. Elcons came with no instructions .. but I had no problem figuring out what plugged into what.
4. Finally got set up at a ChargePoint station, with just enough juice left to get home to Livermore -- if I drove 40mph on the freeway -- if something didn't work. Great surprise: everything worked! Charging seemed to hover around 6KW, a bit below what is advertised. OTOH, if anyone believes they're going to get the rated specs on this -- or super computers, or anything else -- well, enough said. I was perfectly happy to get 6KW.
5. When I ordered from Hollywood Electrics I didn't understand that I needed two cables. They phoned and asked me if I needed a splitter -- of course I did -- but only after they had shipped everything else. So I had to pay a bit extra for shipping. That said, I've no real complaint about the company, and would order from them again.
6. Biggest downsides:
  A. The Elcons completely fill my givi side bags. Am wishing they were 1/10 the size (I mean the Elcons, not the bags).
  B. the Side case rack kit ( http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_7&products_id=199 ) makes it difficult to plug in the charger. (BTW, the rack is a Rube-Goldberg-ish contraption. You most certainly want to pay professionals to install. Which they will do, even though they won't be  happy about it. This is something that Zero -- or OEMS -- need to do better.)

BTW, has anyone experience/expertise constructing a rack to carry a bicycle on a Zero SR?
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Shadow

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Re: elcon chargers - first impression
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2017, 09:23:44 AM »

BTW, has anyone experience/expertise constructing a rack to carry a bicycle on a Zero SR?
I've seen someone around my town who rides with a fork-mount rack on the back of their motorbike, and a mountain bike attached; the front wheel of the mountain bike is bungee cord attached to the rear of the mountain bike, and the thing is held on by the forks. Looks custom. I've only seen it in passing and not got a close look how they did it.

The top rack of the Zero is not designed to support the load of a mountain bike in such a configuration, and would need extra supports welded to be secure. I'm not sure about the OEM side case rack either. I've seen the Happy Trails SU rack for the Zero as installed on Brian Rice's Zero and it looks solid enough to support something like that.

The new Elcon modules which DigiNow configures and sells as the SuperCharger V2 are just starting to ship to buyers. You're off to a very good start with two Elcon 2500's from Hollywood Electrics TL;DR the wait list is long for a Diginow and you're charging now.
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DPsSRnSD

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Re: elcon chargers - first impression
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2017, 10:42:18 AM »

2. Finally found a station and struggled and struggled, trying to pull the protective cap off the connecter (on the Zero). Finally realized it had been zip-tied on!!! Stopped by a CVS and bought a box-cutter, problem solved.

This reminds me of my wife's story about charging at a new small casino. The just-hired employees didn't know if there was a charging station, but she finally found someone who knew where one was. Apparently it'd never been used because the cable to the car was zip-tied in a coil. Nobody had anything to cut it right away, so she pulled and pulled to make the coil smaller until the plug reached the car. After a couple of trips, she remembered to bring wire cutters.
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KrazyEd

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Re: elcon chargers - first impression
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2017, 11:01:08 AM »

As far as charging at casinos ( or any other reasonably sized business ) goes,
if people you talk with don't know if or where charging is, check with security.
They usually patrol the property and will probably have passed it / them.
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ultrarnr

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Re: elcon chargers - first impression
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2017, 02:45:59 PM »

gyrocyclist,

If you would like to carry a bicycle on a SR  contact 2x2Cycles. https://2x2cycles.com/ They are in Chapel Hill, NC and make mounts for other bikes. There is  Zero dealer in Raleigh, NC so not too far to go for them to take a look at a Zero SR. My only concern would be the Zero brackets for the top box and side cases are not very beefy compared to the mounts on my V-Strom and other bikes. Having said that they may be strong enough.  Vinny
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dukecola

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Re: elcon chargers - first impression
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2017, 08:24:33 AM »

Received two Elcon chargers from Hollywood Electrics a week ago. Tried them out for the first time today (it's been a bit wet in N. California the past few days.) Initial impressions:

2. Finally found a station and struggled and struggled, trying to pull the protective cap off the connecter (on the Zero). Finally realized it had been zip-tied on!!! Stopped by a CVS and bought a box-cutter, problem solved.
3. Elcons came with no instructions .. but I had no problem figuring out what plugged into what.

  A. The Elcons completely fill my givi side bags. Am wishing they were 1/10 the size (I mean the Elcons, not the bags).
  B. the Side case rack kit ( http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_7&products_id=199 ) makes it difficult to plug in the charger. (BTW, the rack is a Rube-Goldberg-ish contraption. You most certainly want to pay professionals to install. Which they will do, even though they won't be  happy about it. This is something that Zero -- or OEMS -- need to do better.)


I got a single Elcon just before end of year because wasn't sure if/when my Diginow was going to come. Turns out that will be in about a couple of weeks, so I probably will never use my elcon.  What I too noticed is the thing is HUGE and heavy.  I haven't used it yet cause it's winter here but I didn't get any instructions either, where does the small round connector go?  I thought the thing just plugged into the aux port.
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Justin Andrews

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Re: elcon chargers - first impression
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2017, 01:53:44 PM »

It goes into the Elcon.
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dukecola

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Re: elcon chargers - first impression
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2017, 11:15:14 PM »

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