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[protomech]

- The location of the 12V battery or related subsystems.

The 12V battery is located under the seat, according to the motorcycle.com review.

The cast aluminum subframe holds the seat 30.3-inches high and houses a lithium ion 12V battery.

Yes, the SR/F has a 12V battery to power the on-board systems. Previously, having the only power source being the 100V battery added a layer of complexity that was unnecessary. With the SR/F, the 12V battery acts as a buffer to the system powering the electronics while the 100V battery monitors the 12V battery and charges it as required.

Appreciate the comments on the engineering.

Hasn't the Bosch stability system got lean angle sensor? Think there's a mention of cornering ABS, may also be used for traction control.

Yes, that's probably it.

Again from motorcycle.com:

The Bosch MSC is a first in an electric motorcycle. The MSC hits all of the major dynamic controls: ABS, cornering ABS, traction control, drag torque control – all of which are adjustable via the preset ride modes (Eco, Street, Sport, and Rain) and the 10 user-programmable custom ride modes.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The subframe houses the 12V battery, and it’s likely under the seat but we’re not clear on that yet. The DC converter is likely within an enclosure forward within underseat area.

The Bosch is likely integral to the powertrain in the sense that the throttle input could be mediated by it. The choice of controller model and how the systems are coupled will be interesting, and hopefully not in the sense of introducing new failure modes and debugging routes.

Maybe “Cypher III” is an attempt to express that three-module coupling like “Trinity” would be. Zero has used Matrix themed monikers before...

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Zero published a press release indicating availability of a Power Tank option later this year (fall), and that the charging system seems fully programmable, able to set schedules, rates, and target levels.


https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/press-releases/feb-25-2019-zero-srf-announcement.php

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Terry on FB helped confirm that belt changes look easier and may not even require rear wheel removal:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/zmcowners/permalink/2059939627408568/

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Confirmed via photos:
- incandescent/same turn signals
- Keyed underseat access; a tiny bin under the passenger seat; proper stock handle grips for the tail. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2020966137998905&set=p.2020966137998905&type=3&theater&ifg=1
- Tank storage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/zmcowners/permalink/2058538850881979/?comment_id=2060205204048677 https://www.facebook.com/groups/zmcowners/permalink/2058538850881979/?comment_id=2060205204048677

[protomech]

I’m curious how many amps the full 12 kW system will actually need.

Farasis’s cells are rated at 32 Ah.

To charge 0-95% SOC in 1.3 hours, the chargers will need to supply about 94 amps.

From 3.5 to 4.0 volts per cell and 90% charging efficiency, the AC power needed will vary from 10.2 to 11.7 kW.

At 240 V this is 42.5 to 49 amps.

At 208 V this is 49 to 56 amps.

It seems like a 240 volt 48 amp EVSE would do just fine to support the 12 kW model. Even a 40 A EVSE or 14-50 plug would only be a small decrease.

Edit: Man. All the above is wrong - I misread the standard 1.3 hour 0-95% as the Premium.

With the 12 kW model, you'll need a > 60 amp EVSE to take full advantage - 55 to 64 amps.

J1772 EVSEs with sufficient power are few and far between..

[MrBlc]

And all of that would be MUCH easier accommodated by the type 2 connector..
I really wish they would have gone for that once they first made the move to only support EVSE outlets..

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I had a look at the bike in person, last night at San Jose BMW with a number of Zero employees present, up to CTO Abe. They were candid about a number of details, and held back on some others.


Here are some ergonomics/daily usage notes:
- The charging inlet port is latched magnetically, and opens without requiring the key to access.
- The tank lid closes (re-latches) without needing the key.
- The seat key access releases the passenger seat segment, but not the rider seat segment.
- Under the passenger seat segment is: part of the mount of the tail grab bars/horns, a tiny storage tray (enough for the tools needed to open the rest of the bike), two hooks for retaining helmets via their chin straps, and molded plastic covering the 12V wiring to the tail lights.
- Accessing the 12V system (battery, fuse block, distribution) requires removing a single bolt holding the rider seat segment on, which is under the passenger seat segment. Like many or most main parts of the bike, this requires a Torx T-15? drive. I happen to have a compact titanium drive set I could recommend to fit in the seat storage pocket.
- If the Charge Tank or Power Tank are installed, the tank plastics do not change, BUT the storage bin is replaced with a shallow bin or tray, enough to store gloves/map/tools.
- The tank and other plastics seem very well made (less susceptible to fatigue with weathering and use), and designed for easier roadside or garage servicing.


Here are more maintenance oriented notes:
- The belt has a new part number, and is likely even wider than the 2017+ MY belt.
- The swingarm has threaded holes for rear stand spools.
- The hard plastic belly cover for the controller is (EDIT: corrected by Zero customer service) NOT designed or rated to support the bike on a center lift.
- No high voltage wiring seems to be present in the tail, intentionally.
- The rear of the battery seems to be covered with two separate panels for protection from the elements, upper and lower, under which the high voltage cabling and wires seem to exclusively reside.
- All of the main bus cabling runs very short lengths between the chargers and the battery, and between the battery, controller, and motor.
- This does seem to mean that there are fewer opportunities to plug into the high voltage bus/cabling for accessory chargers, and that any solution in this regard would require the sensitive procedure of controller taps or similar.
- The motor encoder is designed to be serviceable and replaceable without exchanging the motor; it seems to have design improvements as well for reliability and/or precision.
- The Power Pivot design involves brackets that cradle the motor, so there are separate bearings for the swingarm pivot vs the motor itself.
- The team took pride in noting how much painful testing they performed in the SoCal deserts (death valley, etc) to see what it took to overheat the battery. They're much more confident in high ambient temperature and high output thermal performance for the battery, motor, and controller.
- No one mentioned cold weather performance, but my favorite solution of wrapping the battery in 3mm of neoprene still seems workable and could fasten to the tube trellis.
- The team were also proud of designing the new motor; it seems to be fabricated in a relatively distinct way, perhaps even unique. They regretted that their existing extrusion method went by the wayside, because they relished being able to "just lengthen the motor" to get different performance levels out of it, and the new motor design does not afford that in the manufacturing implementation.
- There was a detail about lamination improvements inside the motor for better heat transfer which will probably get a cutaway illustration soon so they can brag.
- I will say that it's pretty easy to see how air gets scooped up under the controller (its fins point downward inside that plastic pan) and then loops over the motor.


During presentation Q&A, a pointed question was asked why Zero stuck with the same low voltage range. There were three people responding in different ways, and I could tell there's a lot of "wisdom to dispel" where people think that high voltage / reduced current is literally the only equation to keep in mind. It's hard to talk about MOSFET vs IGBT in a general setting, but they focused on very short cable runs, the very compact size and capacity of the powertrain vs cars, and that Zero vs Energica / etc MPGe numbers tell a clear story that Zero's powertrain is more efficient.


The engineers seemed to have been surprised by the "Cipher III" branding, indicating it's a marketing term. Time will tell whether this term will occur in service interactions between Zero, dealerships, and customers, or if it's entirely about marketing.


In short, I can't find any fault with the new platform that hasn't been discussed broadly (lack of a dual-J input for the Charge Tank, say, vs 12kW through one port, and lack of CCS/DC support). There are problems like aerodynamics that are not addressed on this model, but I'd bet it would be a much easier platform to design and fabricate fairing bracketing around.


Personally, I still have the preference that I'll wait for the 2020 model announcements in case a different model appears then for this platform, at which point I could adopt it. The streetfighter SR/F model looks like it'll be easier to handle than the SR, but any "less aggressive" form of this bike would probably be more comfortable for me (and my passenger who's already overwhelmed by the DSR when I open up the throttle).

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I forgot some more ergonomics notes:
- The kickstand is constructed differently, probably less likely to wear or bend in ways we've seen with the current generation.
- The kickstand pivot is behind the footpeg, and the kickstand lowers to the rear. There is a cutout on the bracket covering the swingarm pivot, and a corresponding rubber sleeve so that the spring doesn't wear into the bracket or the rider's boots.
- The bracket supporting both the rider and passenger footpegs was designed with removal and customization for e.g. racing in mind. Basically it should be easier to fabricate rearsets or the like.
- The reach from the seat to the handlebars across the tank seems longer (and is probably derivable from the online photos if not an explicit dimension).
- The mirror mounts seem set forward slightly from the bars, though I forgot to check that detail precisely.
- The headlamp toggle switch is now on the front of the left switch assembly! Pulling it toggles the momentary flash-to-pass feature, and *pushing the tab forward* engages the high-beam mode. This felt a tiny bit fragile but usable and the switch is at least pretty solid.
- The left handlebar switch assembly's "face" is dominated by a mode switch which is a left/right toggle navigator with push-button effect. I believe it works the display settings.
- The bar ends are weighted aluminum on the model I checked.
- Heated grips are included with the premium factory trim but also will be a separate accessory; maybe everything on the premium trim will be available separately at least as a part order.

- The underside of the tail is a hard smooth plastic surface; no real equipment will have mud flung on it.
- The turn signals mount to a single bracket and inlet, so swapping them for other options should be easier than with the tail extension juggling currently required.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Thanks to a FB post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/zmcowners/permalink/2088166297919234/
- The controller is by SME Group, model HyPer-Drive X144: https://evshop.eu/en/controllers/63-controller-hyper-drive-sme-acx144.html
- The 3kW charger units are labeled Zero proprietary but have basic nameplate data.

It would definitely be savvy of Zero to determine how to retrofit existing SDS and XMX platform models with one of these units as an onboard charger. That would both flush out Calex instabilities and give older models a little spec bump.

[JaimeC]

Out of curiosity, does the SR/F accept the existing quick chargers, or is the only way to get a faster charge at home is to install a Level 2 system in your garage?

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Out of curiosity, does the SR/F accept the existing quick chargers, or is the only way to get a faster charge at home is to install a Level 2 system in your garage?

I asked about whether an Anderson connector were available for splitting after noting carefully that the high voltage systems shrouds did not expose one. The short answer is "no", although there may be a juncture that's more reasonable to tap than the controller terminals.


You can of course plug into a 110V outlet with their adapter and the Zero's chargers will slow-charge (1.3-1.5kW). Or you can get another J to 220V adapter or buy one of the EVSE's.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Regarding the battery case,
- pouch cells are stacked with the edge facing upward, face forward.
- the fins are sized to equalize the temperature between cells in the center versus cells closer to the front or rear of the case. They were happy to get both good functionality and relatively attractive design out of the process.
- the plate in center is thick enough to aid in heat conduction but is primarily structural, with some openings within for cross connections.
- I’m unclear which side of the pack features cell interconnections and other safety features.
- I forgot to ask about temperature sensor layout, which has been a low key mystery for me. Seems like we’ll still have 7 internal sensors with one ambient sensor.
- the BMS is still in front under a harder plastic cover, but now lacks windows for status indicator lights and reset push buttons.
- the front cover is now bolted more securely than before (bolts into the front face rather than reaching around the side of the frame to anchor) but doesn’t depend on side panel removal first.
- panels covering the tank area seem more likely to shield moisture from a Power Tank accessory in bad weather.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Torx bolts on photo review look closer to T25 than T15.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I've noticed that Zero has published the owner's manual for the 2020 SRF in English:
https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/owner-resources/
http://media.zeromotorcycles.com/resources/owners-manuals/2020/2020-Zero-Owners-Manual-SRF.pdf

I've updated the wiki:
https://zeromanual.com/wiki/Official_Owners_Manual

I've also thumbed through the entire thing.
- The PDF has internal hyperlinks for quick navigation (good idea; not enough PDF tools help authors manage this).
- Charging explanation and recommendations seem clearer and focus more on "do these things, generally" vs "don't do X".
- Drag Traction Control stood out as a distinct feature.
- The Throttle is clearly managed by the Bosch Stability Control system.
- They distinguish the Power Pack from the Battery (12V) which is a little confusing for documentation and communication.
- Pretty full description of the dash menu; I noticed that the ride modes and custom ride modes can all change the dash color.
- Disabling ABS disables traction control; procedure sounds fiddly but can probably be in muscle memory after practicing it a few times.
- I'm unclear on whether the menu handlebar switch acting on mode vs display options operates differently while riding vs standing still.
- All of the basic rider-operated interlocks (cutout and kickstand) get their own icons on the display, for clarity.
- The display of notices and errors includes an explanatory message! This is great for us owners, especially when first getting accustomed to the bike.
- There's a new Notification code system on the dash, but it does include a helpful message and the manual has a table for the codes and messages.- Which error codes correspond to the check engine light (CEL) are marked in the manual's error code table.
- The platform listed for the VIN decode is "FST"(!)

Wheels/Suspension:- Nicer suspension adjustment controls.
- Brake pads: SBS-SI-80GG front (4 pads), SBS-SI-24HH rear (2 pads)- Tire listing includes installed models and also "approved alternates".


Belt/Drive:
- Belt life expectancy seems to be 24k miles still.
- Belt tension 51-102kg (112-225lb), pretty wide and taught band...- Drive sprocket ratio is still 90/20, with 11mm belt pitch (can't find width).


12V Electrical:
- The 12V battery and fuse box are under the rider's seat, which requires a bolt to release, and THEN under a plate under the seat, requiring more unbolting. BUT 12V loads will probably not trigger fuse blows, because there are separate 12V power distribution units (PDUs).
- The headlamp assembly is sealed, so changing the LEDs is not supported.
- The 12V battery is LiFeO4 and has its own heater (12V, fused).
- The 12V accessory ports are: (1) Sumitomo connector at the front of the tank, and (2) an SAE connector below the seat on the right (presumably optimized for heated gear).
- The 12V power distribution is now able to operate/activate the motor controller, OBDII port, and other normal 12V loads. This will make roadside troubleshooting more informative.
- HV fuses are now accessible below the tank plastics on the left rear quarter, but require a Torx(?) bit to uncover. One for the DC/DC converter, and another for the MBB+Contactor(!), both SPT3.15A.
- No charging accessories are listed as supported.