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[JustPassinThru]

Well...put 300 miles on my DS, now, with the ZF-9 battery...a mixed bag.  The bike is comfortable and well balanced and does fine at freeway speeds (I live on the edge of the city and an arterial has a 65-mph speed for two miles before I hit the commercial district).  Well and good...but RANGE, is way down.

I'm averaging between 50 and 70 miles on a charge.  This is keeping the selector on ECON and mostly city traffic.  Often I don't even need to brake, for the regenerative braking.  So it's not hotshoe riding by any stretch.

I'm a bit underwhelmed by the performance, compared to the 2015 demonstrator I tried...but yes, I get that they were getting things sorted.  But the manual and tests and some posters here are all getting, and promising, a hundred miles.  Fifty miles for a nine-hour charge, isn't going to work so well.

Anything I can try?

[ctrlburn]

As an 11.4 "S" owner I can offer that I do occasionally get a big variation in my range results for no discernible reason (yet).

100 miles with a ZF-9 battery pretty much needs under 35mph and ideal environmentals.

Failing that Reduce wind drag.
  Tuck anytime over 45 mph.
  Avoid buffeting wind (especially that "extra" wind from another vehicle)

Avoid COLD temperatures.

Maintain proper tire pressures.

Check for dragging brakes or garbage bearing (check TEMP after a ride) or spin the tires on a stand.


Share you Eco settings and results from the Phone App (watts per mile) for a more relative "share"

Your charge time seems high for that battery, you should be closer to 6 Can you share confirmed time?

[JustPassinThru]

I'm not so sophisticated.  I don't have a Smartphone - I refuse to keep a phone that's smarter than me.

Can't confirm exactly the time; but I know at six hours the one time I checked, it wasn't fully charged.  That was in 42-degree temperature.

Weather for these figures has been mid-sixties.  Speed varies between 15 mph (trail riding) and 45 (urban arterial).

Tire pressure is to specifications.

Some slight brake noise when wheeling it around.  No real resistance and nothing different from other gasoline motorcycles.  Disc brakes do contact at all times.

Probably it's the cold; and you've helped here one way:  The Zero manual figures are apparently optimistic.  If 66 in cool weather, with a 240-pound rider is acceptable...no point shopping trouble.

[protomech]

When people asked what range I got on my 2012 S ZF9, I said 50 to 80. I've seen as much as 100 before, but getting that required a lot of riding below 35 mph and gentle acceleration.

9 hours is about right for a full charge (~1.2 bars per hour). Cold temperatures (< 45F) will increase charge time a little.

Even limited operation at higher speeds (55+) will dig into range significantly, i.e. 1 mile at 65 mph uses more than twice as much energy as 35 mph.

Some other threads to read through:
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=1929.msg6557#msg6557
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2417.0
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2055.0

Other things to think about:
- body position on the bike matters a lot, even at 35 mph
- a small windshield can improve range by 5-10%
- Zero's range figures are accurate enough for what they are, but are reported under ideal conditions. No hills, no wind, light rider, very gentle acceleration and mostly 20-30 mph for the city range test
- rider and cargo weight matter. I weigh about 210 in full gear, so you would see a small but noticeable hit (5% or so) in range relative to me (and likewise, I would see less range than a lighter rider)

[benswing]

I used to have a 2012 Zero S and would ride it at 55 mph in 65 mph speed limit roads. That gave me a range between 70 and 80 miles.

[protomech]

I used to have a 2012 0S and would ride it at 55 mph in 65 mph speed limit roads. That gave me a range between 70 and 80 miles.

I tried to track it down; I did some range tests at 45 and 55 mph. I think this was with my windshield.

As I recall:

Steady 35 mph got around 7.5 miles/bar = 90 miles with "12" bars
Steady 45 mph got around 6.5 miles/bar = 78 miles with "12" bars
Steady 55 mph got around 5.2 miles/bar = 62 miles with "12" bars

JPT: there's approximately 1 to 1.5 "bars" worth of energy below zero before you have to start pushing the bike. I don't recommend testing that far from home, but you might try doing some loops very close to home to see what I mean. Just make sure to charge the bike immediately afterwards.

[JustPassinThru]

Good information.  I haven't done computation "by the bar" yet, either.

By the e-manual, it seems to hint darkly that **BAD THINGS** happen if the battery is let to go flat.  I'm taking that from their insistence on keeping the battery plugged in when stored; and their insistence that it be charged ASAP after being run low.  I'm guessing that's because running it low will lose the firmware or something.

When I say I've gotten 70 miles out of a charge, that's down to the last two bars - when they start to flash.  Obviously, given that it's a new experience for me and it's so onerous and time-consuming to recharge...I've stayed close to home on it.  But...about 70 miles with two bars left.

[ColoPaul]

Temperature affects range significantly.  If you cold-soak your batteries to 35F you'll see decreased range as much as 20%.   No permanent harm, when the batteries warm up (60F+) you'll get the range back.

[protomech]

Good information.  I haven't done computation "by the bar" yet, either.

By the e-manual, it seems to hint darkly that **BAD THINGS** happen if the battery is let to go flat.  I'm taking that from their insistence on keeping the battery plugged in when stored; and their insistence that it be charged ASAP after being run low.  I'm guessing that's because running it low will lose the firmware or something.

When I say I've gotten 70 miles out of a charge, that's down to the last two bars - when they start to flash.  Obviously, given that it's a new experience for me and it's so onerous and time-consuming to recharge...I've stayed close to home on it.  But...about 70 miles with two bars left.

BAD THINGS in this case would be permanent damage to the battery, if the voltage is allowed to be too low for too long.

The Zero BMS will prevent damage to the battery in normal operation, even if you run it completely flat. However, if you do run it completely flat to the point of discharging, you should plug it in immediately and let it charge.

From the owner's manual, page 2-2:

The power pack must be charged within 24 hours if fully discharged, and charged within 60 days if stored fully charged. Zero recommends that you plug in your Zero motorcycle after 7 days even if charged. Please leave your Zero motorcycle plugged in whenever possible.