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[dgwillim]

I'm a new Zero owner (2016 SR w/PT) and I was curious if anyone has looked into this?

I work with a lot of computer and AV gear, and clean power is a must. For computer systems/servers I use double conversion UPS units. AV gear gets non-sacrificial power conditioning, mostly Furman.

Are the on/off board chargers built to deal with standard grid fluctuations and/or extreme conditions?
Has anyone tested charging efficiencies with these devices in-line?

[MrDude_1]

When you're charging the batteries, you can almost think of them as a giant cap... They not only accept "dirty" power coming in... but theres some evidence to support the idea that some fluctuation in voltage actually lets it charge faster.

If you're scared by that, you would be terrified to see some of the barely regulated, un-isolated, un-filtered "bad boy" chargers some EV guys use.

[Farfle]

The chargers are pretty sturdy, they will run from ~85v to ~300V AC and more than that on DC input too!

[dgwillim]

That's actually really good to know.

 Power comes in a little hot (121v, but very stable) where I live, but no issues with the bike or car.

I've also noticed that the manufacturer's charging estimates seem to be conservative.

Thanks!

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

[KrazyEd]

I have the built in charger, and, the "fast" charger.
Both are supposed to run on either 120 or 240, with
the same speed. I have never tried either of them
at 240, but, am told that there is a decrease in charge
time on 240. I have access to a 120 outlet that is very
far away from a fuse box, so, voltage is degraded.
I did a check one time when one of my vehicles were
plugged in, and, the voltage was in the 90s. My
DIY Toyota would charge, my Zeros will charge,
My Focus Electric will charge, but, My Chevrolet
Volt would not.

[Taxman]

i am so new i feel i have been made this morning, but the discussion is about recharging, so in the spirit of being open and honest, is there any reason the zero cannot recharge as it is being propelled forward and at the same time create a noise that makes it less than silent.

My suggestion must already have been considered  but here goes, air intake with propellers inside that turn a turbine, however small creating a trickle feed or more, i am no scientist, it appears to me that whilst braking the batteries can recharge but also whilst being pushed forward?

It may be the case on a journey that the recharge is only good for 1 mile, but i would rather ride for one mile than push a big fat batteried bike, also the inventor of Lithium batteries has said there is a breakthrough with using these batteries in cars and so there fore it could be used in Motorcyles, the equivalent range would increase on a single charge to normal levels with petrol or diesel, that is the observation?  I could be wrong but i am sure there are brains on here who could verify.

[KrazyEd]

I have an update to my previous reply. I have since added a 2016 SR 13. I picked up the SR in January using the same Charging patterns as with my FX(s).
All was well until the weather started to warm up. It is a 19~21 mile ride from my home to work. Varying between 1/3 city streets 45 mph and 2/3 Highway
55~60 mph. and All city streets with MPH between 25 and 50. Depending upon route and style, I arrive at work with between 70% and 90%.
I plug in to the same outlet that I have been using for many years. As mentioned in my previous reply, it is quite a distance from the fuse box, and there is a
big power drop. With no load, it has 121 volts. Dropping substantially as power draw is added. I plugged the SR in one day at around 80% charged. Dash said
something like 3 hours to full. When I returned, at the end of my shift over 9 hours later, the Green light was on and it said 84% but, nothing showing on
the Dash. I unplugged the bike, waited for the green light to go out, then plugged it back in. The dash went crazy, then charge light went on, but, did not charge.
I contacted Harlan at Hollywood Electrics, we went through some troubleshooting, and it was determined that the charger needed to be replaced. This is my
3rd Zero and I have had minimal issues, all of which have been addressed satisfactorily. The SR had less than 2,000 miles, but, as this was a known issue,
I wasn't concerned. I used the bike with the QuiQ charger until new charger was installed. Once again, all was right with the world. The first time I plugged
it in at work, the same thing happened again. The charger was once again replaced. THIS time, I checked the voltage, leaving the meter plugged into the
second socket. Starting Voltage 121. As soon as I plugged the SR in, it dropped to 92~93 Volts. I immediately unplugged the on board charger. I took the
QuiQ charger out of my backpack, plugged it in and the voltage drop was "only" down to 101~102. I am now afraid to plug the SR in at any outlet that I
have not used before. I now carry a volt meter with me wherever I go with the SR. I would be VERY careful of using it anywhere that the power drops
below 100, even though they are SUPPOSED to be good down to 85. My experience had been that once voltage dropped below the threshold, the charger
would stop trying ( Like with my Volt ). That does not appear to be the case with the SR.
I am curious if this may be part of the reason that there are so many charger failures. I know that the SR draws just about double what the FX does,
maybe dropping it down a couple watts would help. I have also used 240 volt now by way of the J1772 Adaptor. When plugging the SR in using the
standard cable, it is disconcertingly hot on both ends on 120. When using the adapter on 240 ( probably only a foot long 12 AWG ) there is no discernible
difference in heat after charging. It would be interesting to discover if people that have had charger issues had them at home, or known outlet,
or, if the problems occurred at a strange outlet. Another possibility would be that a KNOWN outlet was no longer a Dedicated outlet for the Zero.
 

[Doug S]

My suggestion...air intake with propellers inside that turn a turbine, however small creating a trickle feed or more...

If you mounted a wind turbine on any vehicle, the Laws of Thermodynamics dictate that any energy you succeed in harvesting would increase the aerodynamic drag of the vehicle, in an amount GREATER than the energy you might harvest. Some airplane-mounted missiles actually do use wind turbines to create electrical power, but you're just trading jet and/or rocket fuel for electrical energy.

The three Laws of Thermodynamics have been summed up in a famous phrase: "You can't win, you can't break even, and there's no way out of the game". Where energy is concerned, there just ain't no free lunch.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I'm a new Zero owner (2016 SR w/PT) and I was curious if anyone has looked into this?

There's an ongoing but improving situation with charger reliability, and if you're professionally knowledgeable, it can't hurt to try something upstream, but make sure it's very efficient so it doesn't tax the upstream breaker, say.

The most practical advice is gathered on the unofficial service manual for the charger:
http://zeromanual.com/index.php/Unofficial_Service_Manual#Charger
http://zeromanual.com/index.php/Common_Problems#Charging

This can best be summarized as: keep the charging inlet clean and protected from the weather, and keep the cord from getting strained or bent too much to minimize connection problems.